Not That Social
by TheyMadeMeDoIt
Summary: AU Moving to a new school your senior year is tough. It's even tougher when you've been labeled the outcast. Kagome Higurashi knows she's going to have a hard year ahead of her, but what she doesn't expect is for there to be someone who shares her pain.
1. Prologue

**Not That Social**

**Prologue **

**Full Summery: AU Inuyasha--**Moving to a new school your senior year is tough. It's even tougher when you've been labeled the outcast. Kagome Higurashi knows she's going to have a hard year ahead of her, but what she doesn't expect is for there to be someone who shares her pain. Parings include Inu/Kag, and Mir/San (Title Subject to Change).

**AN: **This is my first story (aren't you proud?) and I really wanna know how I'm doing. So PLEASE read and review. Even if it's a flame, I DON'T care, just review! I need to know how I'm doing to know if it's any good! Thanks!

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_She could feel them gaining on her. With every step she took, she knew they were just a few more behind her. She willed herself to run faster, but the rain was pouring and she didn't know where she was. The trees around her stretched to the heavens, blocking out any possible light as she ran blindly ahead._

_She turned around suddenly, hoping to get a glance at what was chasing her. After what seemed like hours of running, she realized that she still hadn't seen what she was running from. When she looked back, she was startled to see that there was nothing there. Only the darkness and the rain. But she knew they were there! They had to be! Stopping in her tracks, she stared deep into the darkness. And there, staring back at her, were two large, red eyes._

_He heart skipped a beat when she saw those eyes. They were definitely _not _human. Her mind was telling her to turn tail and run, but her legs were unresponsive. She tried to call for help, but no words would come out. As the beast came closer, still hidden by the shadows, her legs seemed to kick in on their own and began moving backwards. Unfortunately, her eyes were trained on the monster in front of her and she wasn't looking where she was going. Her left foot caught an upturned root and she suddenly saw the earth rushing up to greet her._

_As she lay on the ground, paralyzed by fear, all she could think was, 'I'm going to die.' The creature loomed over her, ready to attack while still managing to stay hidden amongst the shadows, when it happened.

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_

Kagome shot up from her bed covered in a fine sheen of sweat, and reached over and shut off her alarm clock. For once, she was grateful it had gone off when it did. Glancing over to the alarm clock on the table beside her bed, she stuck her tongue out at the cursed machine when she saw it's taunting numbers. 7:30 a.m. It was _way_ too early to be getting up.

But it was the first day of school, and she couldn't afford to be late. Sighing, she untangled herself from her sheets and made her way to the bathroom down the hall. The world almost seemed to be moving in slow motion to her still not awake mind, as she opened the bathroom door and clicked on the blindingly white light. Looking in the mirror, she couldn't help but stare at what she saw.

Kagome never held a high self-image, and looking in the mirror only confirmed all of her qualms about herself. Others saw a seventeen-year-old girl with a fit body and beautifully long raven hair. She saw a seventeen-year-old girl with lanky arms and legs and tangled, greasy hair. Scowling at the mirror as if it was its fault for the way she felt, she turned to the shower and began to adjust the knobs.

Twenty minutes later she exited the bathroom, refreshed and thoroughly clean. Heading back to her room, she prepared to put on her makeup and get dressed for the day.

Makeup was something Kagome couldn't live without. Foundation, powdered compacts, blush, eye shadow, lipstick; these made up the mask she would wear every day. She hid behind this mask, in fear of being found out for what she really was. She would rather be someone who she wasn't, than to be ridiculed for who she really was.

A slight rapping on the door pulled Kagome from her thoughts. Before she got the chance to call out to whoever was on the other side, her mother pushed open the door with a smile on her face. In her hands was a neatly pressed school uniform.

"Kagome, sweetie, I just thought I'd bring up you're new school uniform." Her mother said sweetly, placing the cleanly folded uniform on Kagome's bed before walking out, the same smile still plastered on her face. Kagome sighed when she looked at the uniform on her bed.

It was a green and white sailor uniform, pretty standard for most of the schools in Japan. What Kagome didn't like about it was the skirt. She felt it was too short and showed off her lankly legs too much. 'But that's what happens when you move to a new city,' Kagome thought. 'You have to wear the new uniform.'

Slipping into the uniform that she would have to wear for the remainder of the year, she looked towards the mirror above her dresser.

"This is it, Kagome." She said aloud. "This is the day where it all changes. I hope you're ready." Forcing a large smile onto her lips, she adjusted her collar and walked out the door.

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**Alright, I know it's short. But keep in mind, it IS the prologue. So it's kinda' supposed to be short, right? I don't care, I'm pretty proud of it. I know where I plan to take this story, and if you're willing to stick around and find out myplans, be my guest. But it's gonna cost you: ONE REVIEW. Deal?**

**Please review, people. It's not like it's that hard or anything. It would mean a lot to me. Thanks! I'll have the next chapter up soon!**


	2. First Day Blues

**Not That Social **

**Chapter One**

**AN: Alright, people. Here's chapter one. I hope it's long enough for you (I think it is). I'm sorry if the characters are a bit OOC, but I'm trying my best with an AU cannon. Remember, this is my first fic. So be nice! D

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She didn't want to do this. The school was huge, bigger than any one she had been in before. There was no was she was going to be able to go into that place and just…click. All of the other kids in her grade had three years of experience with the building; they knew what they were doing and how to get about. Kagome did not.

Swallowing the ever-growing lump in her throat, she pulled her car into the school's car park. The first bell wasn't scheduled to ring for another twenty minutes, but already the place was packed. There were only a few spots available, and they were at the end of the lot. Pulling her car into the spot, she shut off the ignition and climbed out.

Immediately she got the urge to crawl back inside her car and drive away. The building looked even bigger now that she was standing outside of it. Hundreds of kids pushed passed her on their way inside, not paying her any mind. It was as if she wasn't even there, and, for a minute, Kagome thought that was just the way she wanted it.

'No,' her inner-self argued. 'You don't want to be pushed aside like at your old school. You want to make something for yourself.' Pushing the voice to the back of her mind, she stepped through the large doors to the school that would seal her fate.

Straight away she felt lost. The main hallway branched off into what seemed like hundreds of smaller hallways, forming a navigate-less catacomb. It was a giant maze made out of concrete and linoleum, and she felt as if she would never find her way around it. Once again the urge to turn and run gripped her soul, but she kept her feet planted firmly on the ground and scanned the hall for the main office.

She found it not far from the main doors. It didn't look like anything special, with its windows running from one end of the wall to the other for maximum viewing authority, but she still hesitated by the door before entering. The second the door opened, a middle-aged secretary looked up from her spot behind a large desk.

"Can I help you?" She asked, looking Kagome up and down and taking in her school uniform. 'May I help you?' Kagome corrected in her mind. 'You'd think, working in a school, she'd know that.' She quickly stopped her mental rambling and smiled at the receptionist.

"I hope so, my name's Higurashi, Kagome, and I'm starting school here today."

"You and a million other kids, darling." She let out a short, curt laugh at her own joke before rifling through some papers on her desk. "You're new here, aren't you?" Kagome simply nodded and waited for her to continue. "Well, here's your schedule, you're homeroom is 422 with Mr. Sutherbee and your locker number is 467." She handed Kagome an index card sized piece of paper with her locker number and combination scribbled on it. "If you have trouble finding your way around, just come back here and we'll set you up with a guide. I hope you find everything alright."

Kagome knew that she didn't really care, that it was all just a scam and that she was counting down the minutes until the end of the day just like the students, but she kept her mouth shut and walked back out the door she came from.

The hallway was even more crowded than before, if that was possible. There didn't even seem to be gap between the people in which she could walk. She figured that the first thing to do would be to find her locker. Scanning the lockers closest to her, she realized that they were all in the 100s. That either meant that she had a long way to walk, or that the first number indicated the floor that the lockers were on. She decided to go with the latter.

Finding the stairs was no problem, but navigating her way up them in the sea of people proved to be quite difficult. It seemed to take hours just to get to the fourth floor, but she finally made it. It felt as if she had just climbed Mount Everest, and she was more than relieved to start searching for her locker.

The hallway was lined with seniors talking about their summer vacations and comparing schedules. Kagome felt out of place as she idly checked the locker numbers, trying to avoid the few curious glances that she received. She found her locker quickly and stumbled with the combination. On the third try it opened and she quickly began unloading her belongings.

'Now what?' She thought as she glanced at the clock and realized that she had ten minutes to kill. Too afraid to walk up to someone and start a conversation, she wandered the crowded hallway in an attempt to look like she had a purpose. Nothing too much happened until she came across the bathrooms.

She was about to push open the door to the girl's room when someone slammed open the boy's door from the inside. A small cloud of smoke billowed out of the bathroom door before a tall boy with shockingly silver hair walked out. He stubbed a spent cigarette out on the linoleum-tiled floor with his foot and glanced down at her. Shocked, she didn't open her mouth. Rather, she just stared up at him in wide-eyed fascination. A small smirk rose at the corner of his mouth before he pushed past her and disappeared into the crowd of anxious seniors.

'Who was that?' Kagome asked herself, as if her conscience would actually know. She snapped back from her thoughts and was once more about to enter the bathroom when the homeroom bell rang. A collective groan was heard from the students as they grudgingly made their ways to their homerooms. Glancing at the piece of paper in her hand, Kagome sighed and made her way to her homeroom. 'Mr. Sutherbee, here I come.'

A small line of students had formed outside of room 422, Kagome's homeroom. They were all waiting to get into the classroom that was obviously locked.

"Looks like Mr. Sutherbee is late." Kagome heard one of the kids say.

"I know, I guess he'll never change. He was never on time last year." Another student said.

Not interested in their juvenile chitchat, Kagome leaned up against the row of lockers and decided to wait for her new homeroom teacher to arrive. It didn't take long, for the moment she got comfortable, he came briskly walking down the hallway, straightening his suit jacket and jangling his keys.

"I'm sorry I'm late, students." He mumbled as he slid the proper key into the slot and opened the door. He walked in and the students didn't hesitate to follow. They all found seats amongst their friends and began to talk quietly as Mr. Sutherbee sorted through the papers on his desk. By the time Kagome got through the door, most of the desks were occupied so she sat down in the back row, second seat. A few people glanced her way, but none spoke up.

Because it was the first day of school for all of the students, she didn't get pulled to the front of the class and introduced like she would have if it were the middle of a semester. Instead, she had to navigate her way around the building on her own and introduce herself to the other students.

"Alright kids, I know you don't really want to be here, and, frankly, neither do I." Mr. Sutherbee said as he stood in front of the class. "Because it's the first day of class, and because this is only homeroom, we'll start out easy. Let's take roll."

As he began calling out the names on his list, Kagome's stomach started to turn. She grew increasingly nervous as he got closer to the H's.

"Himoshiti, Touga?"

"Here!"

"Higurashi, Kagome?"

The class grew quiet and began looking around the room, trying to identify the new student. Kagome swallowed the lump in her throat and spoke up.

"Here." The class collectively looked in her direction. Not knowing what else to do, she gave a modest smile and a slight wave. A few people smiled back, but most just turned around and went back to facing the front of the class.

"Welcome to Shikon High School, Ms. Higurashi," was all he said before continuing down the list.

'That wasn't too bad,' Kagome thought. The teacher went on to give the daily announcements and read off the lunch menu for that day.

By the end of class, Kagome was feeling a little less anxious. When the bell rang, a small group of girls quickly surrounded her and began introducing themselves.

"Hi Kagome, I'm Ayumi. This is Yuka and Eri. How are you liking Shikon High so far?" They all nodded with big smiles on their faces, urging Kagome to answer.

"I guess it's okay, although I haven't seen too much of it yet." She answered truthfully.

"Where did you move from?" Ayumi asked. She seemed to be the leader of the tiny gang of girls.

"America, but I only lived there for two years. I grew up in Nagasaki." All three of the girls 'ooh-ed' when she mentioned America and Kagome had to stifle a laugh.

"What's it like in America?" Eri spoke up with sparkles in her eyes. Her hair was cut short and held back with a yellow ribbon, and Kagome couldn't help but think how much she looked like a little girl.

"It's not too different from here, minus the language." Kagome answered with a smile. She couldn't believe that these people were so quick to talk to her. She was definitely not used to the attention.

"So, Kagome, what class do you have first hour?" Ayumi took back her roll as leader. The other girls didn't seem to mind, though, and they just stared at her expectantly.

Kagome looked down to her schedule and was about to tell Ayumi her next class when Yuka ripped it from her hands. She gave a quick smile before reading the paper, comparing her schedule with Kagome's.

"I have third hour with you!" Yuka squealed.

"Oh, that's great!" Kagome lied. These girls were just too…happy for her. She couldn't wait to get away from them.

"That doesn't help her any, Yuka!" Ayumi grabbed the paper out of Yuka's grasp and began scanning it herself. "You're in luck, Kagome. I'm in you're next class. Do you want me to show you where it is?"

Kagome thought about it for a moment. She really didn't want to be around these girls any longer than need be, but she didn't know her way to her next class. Figuring that she could ditch them later, she smiled and said a quick, "sure."

"Great, you're going to love Mrs. Strickland. She's one of the easiest teachers in this school." She handed Kagome back her schedule and flashed her a bleached smile. Kagome was quickly catching on to what kind of person Ayumi was. She had shoulder length black hair that hung in loose curls and the way she carried herself screamed 'I'm better than you.'

Kagome looked down at he schedule and noticed that her first hour class was Algebra II. 'Great way to start out the day,' she thought sarcastically.

As they walked down the stairs to the second floor, the math wing, Kagome couldn't help but block out the chatter around her. Ayumi broke off from the other two girls and began showing Kagome to their class, and she wouldn't shut up. She was saying something about her boyfriend when they reached the door.

Kagome made a beeline for the back of the class even though there were plenty of seats available in the front, when Ayumi grabbed her forearm and turned her around.

"What do you think you're doing? Only loners sit in the back. Come on, you can sit by me." Even though she already couldn't stand Ayumi, Kagome followed her to the front of the class. She couldn't let the chance to be popular slip by her. As Ayumi was introducing her to even more of her friends, the teacher walked in, silencing the class immediately.

She was a younger teacher with short brown hair and a warm smile, she reminded Kagome of her mother. She quickly went into taking roll as the class began to talk amongst themselves once more. The same thing as in homeroom happened again in this class when the teacher reached Kagome's name on the list, but this time she was less hesitant to speak up.

"Taisho, Inuyasha?" Mrs. Strickland called out. When she didn't get a response she continued on down the list. But something about the name caught Kagome's attention. It was so…unique.

"Ayumi, who's Inuyasha, and why is he absent on the first day of school?" Kagome whispered with her hand halfway covering her mouth so the teacher wouldn't catch her talking.

"Oh, don't worry about him. He's probably here somewhere. He never comes to class." Ayumi answered her; not bothering to whisper because she knew Mrs. Strickland wouldn't care. "But you don't want to run into him," Ayumi quickly added. "He's a loser."

Before Kagome could say anything else, the teacher began handing out the textbooks. The class seized their talking and everyone's attention was on the front of the classroom, where Mrs. Strickland was writing out practice equations on the dry-erase board.

"The first week or so we'll just be reviewing the stuff you learned in Algebra I," she explained to the class before continuing to scribble on the board. The problems seemed easy enough, and Kagome, along with the rest of the class, began jotting down the notes.

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Kagome somehow managed to survive through Biology, Popular Novels, and Honors World History; constantly keeping an eye open for the tall boy she had seen exiting the boy's bathroom earlier. The day seemed to drag on for much longer than it should have, and she was ready to drop dead. Luckily for her, lunch was next.

It didn't take her long to make her way to the lunchroom, because it was just down the hall from her History class. It wasn't so much of a room as it was a large opening in the center of the building on the first floor, right by the office. Now Kagome understood why the office's front wall was pretty much one big window, it made it easy for the principal and staff the keep an eye on the lunch activities.

The 'room' was speckled with round tables that sat six people each, most of which were already taken. Kagome scanned each table, looking for someone to sit by. She saw Ayumi, Eri, and Yuka, surrounded by more people than could actually sit at the table. Kagome contemplated going to sit by them, but she really didn't want to put up with their perpetual talking.

But she didn't know anybody else. Glancing behind her, she noticed that a few of the kids were taking their lunches outside to eat. Deciding that it was nice enough outside, she grabbed her lunch and made her way out into the front common.

There were only about twenty teenagers outside, each floating in their own little clique. A few of the kids sat by themselves here and there, but, for the most part, everyone seemed to have someone to be with. Not really in the mood to play to roll of 'enthusiastic new student,' Kagome picked a large tree that provided ample shade near the end of the common to sit under.

After only seconds, Kagome's eyes began to close and she started to daydream.

'I knew you would let this happen,' her inner-self sighed. 'You're not making any effort to fit in. How do you expect to make friends if you don't go talk to people?'

"You have no idea what it's like," she chided her conscience aloud, figuring that no one was around to hear her. Sometimes she wondered just where that inner-voice came from, because it was the complete opposite of her personality.

"Talking to yourself? I sure hope the conversation's a good one," a voice spoke up.

Kagome's eyes flew open, searching for the owner of the voice. As she looked all around, she couldn't find anyone even looking in her direction.

"Did I just imagine that?" Kagome asked to no one in particular.

"No, but you _are_ sitting beneath my tree," the voice spoke up again. Or, rather, down would be the correct term. Kagome's eyes slowly lifted to the branches of the tree, and she was shocked by what she saw. There, sitting on one of the top branches, was the boy from earlier. He had his back resting against the trunk of the tree, one leg propped up and the other dangling lazily over the edge of the branch, the wind blowing his long hair to the side.

"Oh," Kagome blinked a few times to clear her thoughts. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you there. I'll just…go sit somewhere else, I guess."

She stood up and prepared to find another tree to sit under when the boy jumped from his spot in the tree and landed before her with perfect grace. He was a full head taller than her and his eyes seemed to be studying her with great intensity. Kagome felt a blush spread across her cheeks, and looked down in a useless attempt to hide it.

"Wait," he spoke up after a moment of silence. "Do I know you from somewhere?" His eyebrows rose as he asked the question, his eyes still locked on her face.

"I-I don't think so." She answered with her head still down, worried about him commenting on her embarrassment. "I saw you earlier in the hallway, if that's what you're thinking…"

He thought for a moment before answering, "No, I guess not then. What's your name?"

"Kagome. Kagome Higurashi," she answered, her eyes finally lifting to meet his own. Her breath was stolen from her the second her eyes locked onto his, they were the most shocking shade of gold she had ever seen. It took her a moment to recover from their unreserved beauty. "What's yours?"

"Inuyasha Taisho," he said hastily.

'Inuyasha Taisho? The guy Ayumi was talking about earlier?' Kagome thought, surprised. 'He doesn't look like a loser. In fact, he looks…hott.'

"Are you new here?" He asked after a few seconds, noticing her blank stare.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I just moved here from America." She answered, still staring at his eyes. A spark of some emotion flashed across his eyes for a quick second at the mention of America, but it was quickly squelched before she could tell what it was. Looking down, she saw a red backpack with a Dresden Dolls CD sticking out of it at the base of the tree. "Is that yours?"

He looked down at the backpack before nodding, "Yeah. You like the Dresden Dolls?"

She nodded with a smile; the Dresden Dolls was one of her favorite bands. "Totally, 'Girl Anachronism' is one of my all-time favorite songs."

He flashed her a smile of approval and looked like he was about to say something when the bell rang. Picking up his backpack, he began walking in the opposite direction of the school doors.

"Where are you going?" She asked when she noticed that he wasn't following her back to the school building.

He stopped and looked over his shoulder at her, flashing her another award winning smile. "What do you think? I'm going home." He answered, as if skipping school was no big deal, and, to him, it wasn't.

"Oh," was all she said before he turned around and continued walking. Not wanting to be late for her fifth period class, Kagome turned and sprinted to the door, glancing over her shoulder twice to watch Inuyasha disappear.

* * *

Kagome's fifth period class was a Home Economics class with a kind old lady simply named Kaede. She had to be at least sixty years old, but she carried herself like she wasn't a day over twenty. The classroom didn't have any desks. Rather, it had eight tables, each with three chairs facing the front of the room behind them.

When Kagome entered the class, she was slightly relieved to see that there was no one there she recognized. Sitting down in the front of the class, she waited for the bell to ring, indicating the beginning of class. As the room slowly began to fill up, Kagome noticed that none of the other kids made an effort to talk to her, and that the two seats next to her remained empty.

The bell rang, but the teacher remained behind her desk, busily sifting through papers. Kagome began idly doodling on her notebook when two exhausted students rushed through the door, panting for air and cursing when they realized that they were late. One was a girl that looked a bit older than Kagome with dark brown hair tied in a high pony tale, in the other was a boy with black hair and a small rat tail. Noticing that all the other seats were taken, they sat next to Kagome.

"This is all your fault," the girl whispered, smacking the boy semi-roughly on the back of the head.

"You know I couldn't help myself," he responded with a lecherous grin on his face. He began to laugh at something that only he found funny, obviously, because the girl just got more irritated and crossed her arms. She glanced over to Kagome and her anger immediately dispersed, turning into a smile.

"Hi, I'm Sango, and the letch over there is Miroku." She said, hooking her thumb in Miroku's direction. "I don't think I've seen you around before."

"That's because I'm new here. My name's Kagome." They shook hands and Kagome smiled. Sango seemed to be a lot easier to get along with the Ayumi.

"Where did you move fro-" Sango began to ask when Kaede spoke up.

"Attention class, there shall be no talking while I am teaching. Let's start this year off with…" Kaede began to ramble on about the class and the various assignments that they would turn out in the year.

'We'll finish this later.' Sango mouthed and Kagome nodded.

Perhaps this year wouldn't be so bad.

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**Alrighty, chapter one is up! But please review, if I don't get enough reviews, I might not want to continue this. How am I supposed to know if it's any good if you don't review. **

**So be nice and click that little button down there. **

**I'm already working on the next chapter, so the updates should be fairly quick on this. Also, I don't have a beta reader. If you think I need one, and you're up for the job, drop me a line! See ya!**


	3. The Fight

**Not That Social**

**Chapter Two**

**Disclaimer: I just realized that I didn't put this in either the prologue of the first chapter. My bad. I own nothing, obviously. Really, I shouldn't have to say that. If I owned Inuyasha, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction. I do, however, own the story line (however lame and over-used it may be). **

**AN: Thank you those few who have reviewed, I appreciate it more than you know. The reviews are what give me inspiration to keep writing. So please, I'm practically begging here, be kind and review my story.

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'I can't believe we actually got homework on the first day of school,' Kagome thought dejectedly as she sat over an abnormally large Algebra II textbook. They were assigned thirty practice problems for the evening, and Kagome was stuck on number seven. She understood the work; it just took forever to do each problem. Erasing problem seven for the fifth time, she let out a low growl before dropping her head onto her desk.

"I give up!" She was just about to call it a night when her mother knocked on her door. Not waiting for an answer, she walked in with a smile on her face.

"Kagome, dear, a girl named Sango is on the phone for you," she said, half in and half out the door. Kagome's heart skipped a beat. She remembered giving Sango her number when she asked for it earlier that day, but she didn't expect her to actually call.

"Thanks, mama," Kagome dashed past her mom and down the stairs as if her life depended upon it. The phone lay off the hook on the kitchen table, waiting to be picked up. As Kagome reached for the receiver, she began to panic. 'What if she's only calling about school? That's probably it; I doubt she actually called to talk to me. But, even if she did, what would I say?' Questions swirled around her head before she realized that she was keeping Sango waiting. Picking up the phone, she muttered a quiet, "H-hello?"

"Hey, Kagome?"

"O-oh, hey, Sango, right? What's up?" 'Okay, keep it cool, Kagome. You don't want her to know that you're not used to talking to people,' her inner-voice supported.

"Not too much. I was just wondering, what are you doing after school tomorrow?" 'Is she asking me to hang out?' Kagome thought, her heart racing even faster. 'What do I say? Yes, right? No, she probably just wants help with her homework or something…'

"I'm not sure yet, why?" 'Good answer,' her conscious applauded. 'Leave it open-ended so she'll say what she wants from you.' Kagome sighed; her inner-voice could be very depressing sometimes.

"Well, Miroku and I were going to go bowling, and we were wondering if you wanted to come?" Kagome paused. She was actually asking her to hang out?

"I'd have to ask my mom," Kagome answered after taking a deep breath. "But I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

"Great!" Sango sounded seriously happy. "We'll fix out the kinks tomorrow. See you in school!"

"Okay, bye!" The phone line went dead and Kagome hung up the receiver. "I can't believe that just happened," she whispered.

"Kagome? What did she want?" Her mother asked as she walked into the kitchen, preparing to clean up for the night.

"Oh, you wouldn't believe it, mama! She asked me to go hang out with her tomorrow after school!" Kagome squealed with the biggest smile on her face. It had been a long time since she had hung out with anyone. Her mother smiled warmly at her, truly happy to see that her daughter was making friends.

'It's good to see that she'll be able to start all over again,' she thought as her daughter ran up the stairs to continue her homework with newfound energy.

* * *

Kagome wasn't as nervous at school the next day. She made her way into the car park with a smile on her face, eagerly wanting to talk to Sango about this afternoon. As she climbed out of her car, however, something caught her eye.

In the front of the building by the main doors there was a crowd of juniors and seniors swarming around in a big circle. A few of them were yelling obscenities and cheering someone on, but Kagome couldn't see past the wall of people to see what was happening. There were mostly senior boys in the group, but there were a few girls speckled here and there, clutching to their boyfriends. Kagome spotted Sango amongst the group of teenagers and made her way in her direction.

"What's going on?" She asked when she reached her side. Sango turned around with a worried expression on her face.

"I'm not really sure, I can't see too well." She answered and then thought for a second. "I think there's a fight going on."

Kagome gasped, her stomach tightening.

"We have to check this out," she told Sango, grabbing her arm and elbowing her way to the front of the crowd. 'I have a bad feeling about this,' she thought, pushing people aside. What she saw there caused her to stop in her tracks.

Inuyasha and another boy were locked in a heated battle. Punches were being thrown and dodged, and everyone around was cheering it on. Kagome noticed that most of the shouts weren't in Inuyasha's favor. The boy he was fighting had waste length black hair tied up in a tall ponytail, and the brightest blue eyes Kagome had ever seen.

"Sango, who's the boy with the black hair?" Kagome asked, not taking her eyes from the fight.

"That's Kouga Wolff, he's the captain of the football team." Sango explained, her eyes also trained on the fight. "He's been known for giving Inuyasha shit."

Just then Kouga kicked out with his right foot, nailing Inuyasha right in the face. His body hit the ground with a thud and the crowd cheered even louder. Kagome couldn't believe that they were actually cheering this on.

"Feh," Inuyasha spit a gob of blood out of his mouth before climbing to his feet again. "Don't cheer this loser on, folks. I ain't down, yet." Her rushed at Kouga and punched him in the stomach, causing him to double over in pain.

"You little freak, you're going to pay for that!" Kouga ran at Inuyasha and was just a foot away from attacking when Kagome decided that she had seen enough.

"Stop this!" She yelled, running out in between the two brawling teenagers. Kouga slid to a stop inches from her body, shocked and appalled that someone would stand up for Inuyasha. "Don't take another step."

"You must be the new kid, right?" Kouga asked with a sly smile on his face. "Do you know who it is you're standing up for?"

Kagome looked over his shoulder, where Inuyasha was staring back, equally as shocked as Kouga was a moment ago. "Yes, I do. What are you going to do about?"

"Oh, nothing…" Kouga laughed, turning to the crowd. "Well, what do you make of this, guys?" The whole crowd laughed. Kagome wasn't sure what was going on, but Inuyasha quickly shoved her behind him, glaring daggers at Kouga's back.

"Leave her out of this, Kouga." He yelled, and Kagome could have sworn she heard a low growl emitting from his chest.

"Oh, so dog breath has a new girlfriend!" Kouga smiled and the crowd laughed again. "I didn't think you would get over your last one so easily."

'What does he man by that?' Kagome thought.

"That's none of your business, Kouga." Inuyasha spat his name out like poison. Kouga snarled at Inuyasha and raised his fists, signaling for the fight to continue. Inuyasha was happy to oblige, and got into a fighting stance as well.

"No!" Kagome shouted again, once more pushing herself between the two. "What did I just say? Cut this out!"

"Listen, wench," Inuyasha growled, grabbing her arm. "I don't need your, or anyone else's, help. You got that?" The intensity of his eyes frightened her, and she didn't know what to say. Her mouth hung open and she stared at him with shock written all over her face.

"You heard the freak," Kouga smiled. "Back off."

'What should I do?' Kagome thought. 'I don't want to see anyone get hurt, but if I don't back down, I might get hurt myself.'

"I'm sorry, Kagome," Inuyasha whispered, low enough so only she could hear. She didn't know why he was apologizing, but then he roughly pushed her back to the edge of the crowd. Sango quickly grabbed her friend and pulled her out of harm's way.

"Kagome, are you alright?" Sango asked.

"I think so, I just don't understand why—"

"I'm going to kill you, Kouga. Right here, right now." They rushed at each other again and began to beat the hell out of each other. Kagome couldn't tell who had the upper hand; both of them were speckled with cuts and bruises. Just when she was about to jump in between them again, the principle pushed through the crowd.

"Break it up boys!" He shouted, pulling them apart. "I was hoping that we wouldn't have this trouble again this year, but I guess that was too big of a dream. In my office—now!" Both boys muttered something under their breath before following the principal back inside the building. As the crowd slowly began to break up, Sango and Kagome spotted Miroku standing by his car and rushed to his side.

"I can't believe I just witnessed a fight," Kagome whispered, slightly out of breath from running across the lawn.

"It's nothing new," Miroku answered with a groan. "That was practically a daily occurrence last year. I'm surprised they weren't at each other's throats yesterday." Kagome couldn't believe that two people could hate each other that much, but decided to keep her mouth shut.

"So about this afternoon…" Sango spoke up, obviously desperate to change the subject. They continued to make plans to go bowling after school before heading into the building for class.

* * *

**AN: Alright, I'm not very good at writing fight scenes, as you could probably tell. But there's the second chapter, I hope you enjoyed. Oh, and be a doll and review, will you? It's not _that_ difficult. Love ya!**


	4. Bowling and Arguments

Not That Social 

**Chapter Three**

**Disclaimer: I think I forgot this in the other chapters…I don't own anything, yadda-yadda-yadda. This applies for the whole story and shall not be repeated. Thank You.**

**AN: Here it is people, the shocking continuation of my story "Not that Social." Or, you know, not that shocking. You decide. I think I'm doing pretty well with my updating, what do you have to say about that?**

**Thank you everyone who has reviewed. I really appreciate it. It's not as many reviews as I'd like, but I can't complain…**

**S.E.L—Thank you for you're review, it means a lot to me. A beta reader is a bit like an editor for fanfics. They read your story before it's posted and clean it of mistakes. Some beta's specialize in different things, too. (i.e. accents, foreign languages, grammar, etc.)**

**Laurell-chan—I hope the character introductions are good, thanks. I'm just a little worried that I'm not describing them well enough. It's different with fanfics, I know, because you are already familiar with the characters and what not. My strategy so far has been to introduce them slowly, allowing them to reveal who they are. Does that make any sense?**

**Inu yasha lover144183—I don't think I'm a very good author, but thank you!**

**Kura-chan15—I'm so glad that you can easily relate to Kagome's character. I know she's a bit OOC in this fic, but it works with the plot line. I'm the same way, so I just tried to base her a bit off of me. Although, I would never step in between to feuding teenage boys! Lol**

**Megumi15—Thank you, I'm updating as fast as I can!**

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The bowling alley was surprisingly packed for a Thursday afternoon. The parking lot was jammed full of teenagers looking for something to take their minds off of school, the neon lights casting an artificial glow over the concrete.

"So, other than bowling, what else is there to do here?" Kagome asked as they pulled up in Miroku's red Chevy, taking in the sight of the bowling alley.

"Well, there's a concert hall the next town over that we sometimes hang out at," Sango explained, looking over her shoulder from the passenger seat. "But other than that…there's pretty much nothing. Small town, you know?"

"Yeah," Kagome nodded, continuing to look out her window. This would be the first time she was around so many people outside of school since she moved, and she felt a knot tying itself in her stomach. There was a high possibility that something could go wrong.

"Kagome?" She heard Miroku's voice call her. "Kagome, are you alright? We're here…"

Looking around, Kagome realized that they were parked and Sango and Miroku were already climbing out of the car. 'Whoa, what just happened?'

"Sorry guys, I must have zoned out for a minute there," she smiled, unbuckling her seatbelt and climbing out as well.

If Kagome thought there were a lot of people in the parking lot, then she was in for surprise when she entered the building. It was packed; practically every lane was full. There were couples bowling together, groups of friends hanging out and laughing about something monotonous. There were more people bowling than Kagome had ever expected.

They went up to the counter and got their shoes and headed for the only lane open at the end of the building. It was while picking out a ball that Kagome realized how long it had been since she last went bowling. She was twelve and it was for a birthday party that a girl down the street was having. She remembered it like it was yesterday.

A small chuckle escaped her lips. 'I'm going to look so stupid,' she thought, picking up a pink ball and heading over to where Sango and Miroku were tying their shoes.

"I love these babies," Miroku smiled. "They look like clown shoes and they glow under a black light. They're pimp." Kagome laughed and sat down to put her own shoes on. 'He's right,' she thought. 'They do look like clown shoes.'

"Is something wrong, Kagome?" Sango asked. "You look a little nervous about something…"

"Oh," she smiled. "It's just that I haven't bowled in five years. I'm afraid of making a fool of myself."

Miroku jumped up and stuck his tongue out. "You don't have to worry about that, Kagome! You're amongst friends, and good company, if I might add."

They all shared a quick laugh before beginning their game. Kagome was relieved to find out that Sango and Miroku were just as bad at bowling as she was, and that there was no real competition. They spent hours at the bowling alley that night, playing four games and laughing the whole time. Kagome had forgotten what it was like to be happy, and the feeling was starting to return. She felt it filling her heart like a beaker her heart—these people were her true friends.

* * *

The next day at school Kagome felt genuinely happy. She knew that she had someone to sit by at lunch, people to chat with about her day, friends to bum homework answers from. She knew that she was one step closer to leading a normal life. All of the pieces were falling into place, and she couldn't be happier.

As she walked down the halls of the school that day, however, she noticed something that shot her back down to the level she began at. While she passed people she observed them shooting her glares and whispering things. Straining her ears, she managed to pick up a few of the crude sentences.

"Did you hear about the new girl?"

"I heard she stuck up for the freak yesterday."

"I saw it first hand."

"Who does she think she is?"

"Who would stick up for that loser?"

'Maybe they're talking about some other new girl,' Kagome tried to think positively, even though she knew that she was the only new student in the building.

"Her name's Kagome." She heard someone whisper.

"God, she's totally blown her chances."

"Pathetic, really."

Hanging her head and walking faster, trying to block out the whispers and the stares, Kagome practically ran to her locker. Her combination stuck and she felt the frustration building up to a boiling point. A single tear rolled down her cheek. Wiping it away quickly so not to mess up her makeup, she slammed open her locker and grabbed her things for first hour.

Just as she banged her locker door shut with a loud crash and turned around, she collided with something solid, causing her to drop her books. She felt herself falling, and just before she hit the ground two strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her to her feet.

"Hey, watch where you're going," she heard a gruff voice growl out. She knew that voice. Looking up, she was confronted with none other than Inuyasha, his arms still wrapped around her. They stayed that way for several seconds, just staring at each other, as the rest of the world seemed to fade away. Kagome found herself once again spellbound by his golden eyes, unable to pull her glance elsewhere. Luckily for her, he was the one to break the silence. "Sorry about that."

"N-no, it was my fault," she mumbled, bending over to pick up her scattered belongings. She was surprised when Inuyasha bent over also, scooping up her books and handing them to her. Smiling, she accepted his help and turned around to leave.

"Kagome, wait." She stopped and turned around, confused and wondering what he wanted from her. 'He knows my name?' she thought when she turned to him. "Listen, those losers don't know what they're talking about. Don't listen to them."

Before she could respond he turned around and headed back down the hallway. 'Could he have meant the kids that were talking about me?' she thought. 'Did he hear what they were saying?'

"Kagome!" She twirled around to see Sango running in her direction, dragging Miroku by his sleeve. "Kagome, I'm so happy I found you. What's going on? Everyone's talking about you."

"I don't know, I heard someone talking about me and Inuyasha when I walked into the building today," Kagome answered, running a hand through her hair. "Why would they do that?"

"Well," Miroku spoke up with a know-it-all look on his face. "Inuyasha's not exactly the most popular person in this school, Kagome. You probably saw that yesterday. Standing up for him was a big blow in your popularity, I mean, now you're associated with him…"

"What's so wrong with that?" Kagome asked, slightly angered. "What did he ever do to become the school's reject?"

"I heard he killed his ex-girlfriend," Sango answered, tapping her index finger against her chin. "And someone once said that he went to jail before."

"Rumor is," Miroku joined in, "that his girlfriend was cheating on him and he killed both her and the guy she was cheating with. They found their bodies buried in his backyard."

"You guys are horrible," Kagome gasped. "I can't believe you would buy into that rubbish. You're no better than everyone else." She turned around and was about to stalk off to class when she heard Miroku call her name.

"Hey, we never said we believed any of the rumors," he smiled.

"But you're just as bad as them to be spreading them about!" Kagome practically yelled. "How would you like it if people were spreading rumors about you?" They didn't seem to have an answer for her. Deciding that they weren't worth her time, she turned and headed off to her homeroom.

* * *

Kagome noticed that Ayumi, and all of her friends, didn't even make an effort to talk to her in homeroom that day. Not that Kagome wanted to talk to them, but it still hurt. Every time she would look in their direction they would turn around and start mumbling something, most likely about her. She wanted to get up and yell at them for talking about her behind her back, but instead she just turned her eyes to her science book and finished up the previous night's homework.

The rest of the day pretty much followed along the same path. In all of her classes she received strange looks and she noticed several people talking to themselves. She had no proof, but something told her that they were talking about her. They had to be, she was the gossip of the school.

'I could have told you this would happen,' her inner-voice chided. She was beginning to wonder where that voice had been all day. 'You completely ruined your chances of fitting in…again.'

A strange feeling of déjà vu swept over her. She had been in this situation once before, and she was determined not to let it happen again. The memories threatened to flood her mind and she felt a terrible headache coming on. 'I need to get out of here.'

"Teacher?" She raised her hand, gaining her Mr. Myamoto's attention. "May I please go to the bathroom?" He nodded, giving her the bathroom pass when she walked to the front of the class. The second she was out the door she sprinted down the hallway.

Passing the bathroom all together, she kept running until she reached the doors to the common outside. Through the glass doors she could tell that it was warm outside, the kind of weather that called to a person. Opening both doors together, she stepped out into the common and took a deep breath. It smelled like summer.

She smiled when she saw the tree she sat under the first day. Halfheartedly hoping to find Inuyasha sitting amongst its branches, she sat down at the base of the tree and just concentrated on the environment around her. She could feel the stress leaving her body as the wind caressed her cheek, a warm reminder that there was a light at the end of every tunnel.

"Shouldn't you be in class?" she heard someone call out, and she immediately recognizing the voice as being Inuyasha's. Looking up, expecting to see him sitting in the branches of the tree like the last time, she was disappointed when she didn't see anyone. Her heart began to sink at the thought that maybe she had imagined the voice, that maybe she truly was all alone out here. And then he called out again, "Hey, over here."

She looked up and in the direction of his voice, a small tear brimming along the edge of her right eye. He was walking towards here from the parking lot, hands in his pockets and a cocky smile on his face.

"So, are you going to answer my question, or not?" he asked when he reached her side and sat down beside her. Kagome had to think back for a second to what it was he asked a moment ago. Part of her was too shocked to answer him; she couldn't believe that he was actually sitting there talking to her.

"Well, uhm—" she tried to think of an excuse that wouldn't make her sound crazy. She herself wasn't too sure what she was doing outside in the middle of the school day. 'What the hell do you think you're doing?' her inner-voice screamed. 'What if all of the rumors about him are true?' "Just sitting."

He gave her a knowing smile and turned to look at the sky. They sat like that for several seconds, just sitting and enjoying the day.

"Let's go." He broke the silence, standing up and dusting off his pants. She looked at him for a moment, not understanding what he meant. "I know you don't want to be here, so lets leave."

She had never skipped school before, but the prospect of breaking a rule caught her attention. 'I have nothing to lose,' she thought with a shrug. He reached down his hand to help her up and she accepted it, getting to her feet and following him to the parking lot.

* * *

**AN: Don't worry, Kagome, Sango, and Miroku will kiss and make up. Well, without the kissing. It's just there for…dramatic affect. They shall learn the error of their ways, just like you shall learn the error of your way for not reviewing my story. (Mwahahahahaha!) **

**I had a really hard time with this chapter. It just wasn't turning out the way I wanted it to and I had to restart it like six times. And then, when it was finally turning out good, we had a power-outage and the computer shut down. My computer, being gay, couldn't recover the document. So I had to start all over AGAIN. Needless to say, I'm still not happy with it…so if it sucks major monkey balls, then there's a bit of an excuse. Or it could just be because I'm a horrible writer; either way, I apologize**.


	5. View of the Water

**Not That Social **

**Chapter Four**

**A/N: Yep, nothing much to say this week…Oh, slight lemon in this chapter. Nothing too special, just kinda' cute…**

**Reviewer Responses:**

**Rambacca69: I tried to find your story, but I couldn't find it. I'm sorry. But thanks for reviewing.**

**Laurell-chan: I'm trying my best with the updates. This one took a bit longer than the others because I really wanted to get into it, and also I had a very tiring weekend. You're review was so nice, thank you so much! I really appreciate all the nice things you said about me; it makes me feel special! I know what you mean about the High School Fics. I hate that. If you look at the show, Inuyasha's the antisocial one, he's the one that got picked on, he's the punk…Kagome's the good girl. I mean, come one people:P**

**Kura-chan15: Thank you! When you were going with the "Buts" I was like "WAIT! IS SOMETHING WRONG!" But then I read on, lol, and I really appreciate your reviews. Thank you!**

**Inuyasha-Daisuke-Fan: Thank you, and here's the next chapter!**

**As for you people who are reading it and not reviewing…Boo you! J/k I really appreciate you taking the time to read this, it means the world to me.

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**

Kagome was shocked when she saw what Inuyasha rode to school every day. Sitting toward the back of the lot, parked in a position where it would incontinently take up two spaces, sat a beautiful black motorcycle. A single black helmet hung off the handlebars, swaying softly in the breeze.

"Uhm, Inuyasha?" Kagome gulped, taking in the site of the bike. She had never imagined riding a motorcycle before. "I-Is that you're bike?" He paused, glancing over his shoulder and shooting her a smile that made her knees wobble.

"Never rode a motorcycle before?" She simply shook her head in the 'no' position, ringing her hands together. "It's not that bad, I promise I'll take it slow." The smile never left his face as he swung one leg over the bike and straddled it. "You commin'?"

Kagome stood there for a moment, contemplating whether this was the safest thing to do or not. 'What if he crashes?' her inner-voice practically screamed. 'You don't even have a helmet, if you crash you're done for it!'

"Uhm," she spoke up, holding up her finger and chewing on her bottom lip. "But I don't have a helmet."

"Not a problem," he said without a pause. "You can use mine." He tossed her his helmet and she struggled for a moment before she got it on correctly. He let out a small laugh at her antics before turning on the ignition and revving the engine. "Hop on."

She hesitated for a moment before sliding in behind him, wrapping her arms around his middle. It felt weird—sitting there like that, practically hugging him.

"You ready?" he asked over he shoulder, revving the engine one more time. She nodded, still frightened and trying to calm her nerves. Before she could say a word he took off, flying out of the parking lot faster than she would have liked. Tightening her grip on his abdomen, she buried her face into his back.

He couldn't help but smile at the feeling of her being so close to her, gripping onto him as if her life depended upon it. He felt her grip tighten once more as he turned a corner, snaking in between standstill traffic.

"You okay back there?" He shouted over the wind, turning his head slightly while still keeping his eyes on the road. She finally looked up and shouted a 'yes.' It was then that she realized how nice it felt to be going as fast as they were. The speed didn't even seem to matter so much any more. All she felt was the wind whipping at her body and the world flying away. Even though she felt more comfortable, however, she used this opportunity to keep her arms around Inuyasha.

"Where exactly are we going?" She shouted; trying to get her voice to float passed the helmet and the winds. It took Inuyasha a moment to catch what she was saying before he responded.

"It's a surprise," he answered simply, not taking his eyes off the road. They drove that way for what seemed like hours, lost in the sounds of the world around them. It was unlike anything Kagome had ever experienced. She felt so free, so weightless—as if she could just spread her arms and take flight.

It was when they pulled into an alley on the outskirts of town that Kagome began to panic. Her heart rate sped up as the engine slowed down. 'See, I told you this would happen,' her conscience scolded. 'He's probably going to rape you and leave you for dead. I knew you shouldn't have gone with him.'

A million thoughts rushed into her mind as the bike continued to journey down the alley and she tried desperately to exterminate the voice in her head. Her arms instinctively tightened around Inuyasha's waste once more, and she felt a lump forming in her throat.

The bike continued to move down the alley until it came out into a clearing, and Kagome's breath was stolen from her body. They were behind what appeared to be a posh seafood restaurant, nestled along the coast of the lake that she new ran nearby. The view was amazing, crystal blue water shining underneath the bright sun and seagulls flapping about like the ocean side. It was unlike anything Kagome had ever seen.

Inuyasha turned off his bike and climbed off, signaling for Kagome to do the same. It took her a moment, but she finally tumbled off the bike and sat the helmet down on the bike seat.

This was definitely not the place she was expecting him to take her. It was so…beautiful. She thought a guy like Inuyasha would drag her to some rundown pub in the middle of the ghetto, not a beautiful park behind a wealthy restaurant. Kagome couldn't help but stand there for a moment, simply taking in the beauty of the place.

"Something wrong?" Inuyasha asked, turning to her and snapping her from her thoughts. He had a concerned look on his face and something in his eyes sparkled.

"N-no, it's just that this place…" she struggled to find the right words. They weren't coming to her.

"It's great, isn't it?" She silently thanked whatever god was listening to her just then. "I used to come here with my dad when I was little," he explained. "I always thought it was one of the most beautiful places in this city."

She couldn't help but smile. This was a part of Inuyasha that she never expected to see. She had only known him for a few moments, but she could tell that this was a side of himself that he didn't show to everyone and it made her feel special that he trusted her.

He turned around and grabbed her hand, pulling her towards the water. A chuckle escaped her lips as she was pulled behind him.

"What are you doing?" she managed to get out between giggles, tripping over her feet and trying to keep up with him.

"You'll see," he smiled back, continuing to pull her along. They ran for a few moments before they reached a set of logs along the beach. At this point they were a good distance from the restaurant and there was no one else around. Inuyasha pulled her to one of the logs and sat down, leaving enough room for her to sit beside him. She smiled and sat down.

"This is so beautiful," she whispered, more to herself than to him. He turned to her and smiled, before looking off toward the water. Waves were casually lapping at the beach, creating a tranquil atmosphere that made Kagome's eyes feel heavy.

"I've never brought anyone here before," Inuyasha mused aloud. "You're the first one. I'm not sure why, though…"

"I'm glad that you brought me here," Kagome smiled, placing her hand atop his. She meant nothing intimate by it, just as a sign of friendship. But, at the same time, she never felt more right.

"Kagome," he spoke up after a moment of comfortable silence. "Why did you stick up for me that day in school?"

She thought about it for a moment, thinking back to the day of the fight. She wasn't entirely sure why she had stuck up for him; she just knew that it was the right thing to do.

"Well," she answered, "I saw you fighting and it broke my heart. I didn't want to see anyone get hurt, and I noticed that most of the kids were cheering Kouga on. That jerk, he has another thing commin'."

Inuyasha couldn't help but smile at her answer. He let that smile stay on his lips as they continued to stare at the water.

* * *

He drove her home when the timing was right, making sure that it looked like she just got out of school. She waved goodbye to him and handed back his helmet before he drove off towards his own home. Kagome stood outside on the curb for a few moments, just smiling. She walked back into her house in a sort of daze, eyes glazed over as if in a dream.

"Kagome, dear, how was school?" She heard her mother call from somewhere in the kitchen.

"It was great mom," she answered, climbing the stairs to her room. "Just great."

She plopped down on her bed, forgetting about whatever homework she had to do and allowing her mind to drift to thoughts of Inuyasha. He was so perfect. She had never met anyone like him before. A smile played on the edges of her lips as she allowed herself to drift into a deep slumber.

* * *

**AN: I don't know motorbikes, so I didn't get into the model or anything. But if you guys know of one that looks really hott, let me know and I'll put it in here! **

**I hope that wasn't too short for you guys. I tried my hardest. There are a lot of thoughts running through my mind about this story, but I didn't know what to put in this chapter. It could go farther, but I think this is a good place to end it, just because of what the chapter deals with.**

**I'm thinking about having the next chapter focus mainly on Inuyasha. Tell me what you think!**


	6. The Nightmare

**Not That Social  
Chapter Five**

**I want to give a shout out to Laurell-chan. I think I can safely say this without offending anyone : you are my favorite reviewer. Your advice helped a lot. Before I was just sitting down and writing the chapters consecutively in one sitting, for the most part. But ignoring the plot and focusing on what I know needed to be in the story helped me regain my focus. I have found a new muse and everything is back on track. I actually wrote this ADORABLE scene (in my opinion) for later in the story. It'll be up in a few chapters…it took a little bit longer to do this chapter than the others, but I don't think you'll be disappointed. So thanks again, Laurell-chan!**

**Other Reviewer responses:**

**Kura-chan15: You sound as if I haven't updated in ages! I know it's been a little slower than my other chapters, but I think I'm doing pretty good compared to some authors who take forever to update their stories…But oh well, here's the next chapter!**

**Normadgirl66: I'm really glad you like this story; it means a lot to me! **

**Crimsontears824: Thank you, I like that idea, too. That's why I did it for this chapter! **

**AN: I decided that Inuyasha wasn't getting enough show time in this story, so this chapter focuses mainly on him. Remember the rumors being spread in High School about him? Well, sadly, most rumors are based on some sort of fact…so here it is…

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_I knew that it was just a dream, just a memory that my mind had decided to replay thousands of times in my head. But it felt so genuine, so vibrant a lively. I felt as if he were right there again, back in the past when it had all happened._

_I was standing on her porch. It was a cold day and the wind was whipping my hair about in a thousand directions, trying, it seemed, to take flight. My hand reached up to knock on the thick wooden door that led to her house, when I stopped. A feeling of dread suddenly seemed to fill my soul. I remembered this day like it was yesterday. I knew what was on the other side of that door, and I didn't want to see it again. And yet, I seemed to have no control over my body as my hand reached out and turned the doorknob._

_My senses were immediately assaulted by thousands of scents, all of which could be linked to her. The smell was strongest upstairs, and before I could even form a straight thought I was climbing the steps._

_Her room was at the end of the hall. And in my memory-fogged mind, it seemed to glow with an angelic light—almost calling me to it. I couldn't stop my feet from moving in that direction, even though I already knew what I would find behind that door._

_It all happened so fast. I slammed open the door and there she was—lying on her bed with another man on top of her. I didn't recognize the other man, but, then again, I didn't actually take the time to look. In an instant I was on him, throwing punches and shouting curses. Behind me I faintly heard her yelling at me to stop, but I paid her no mind and continued with my attack._

_I didn't know what came over me then, but it was as if I couldn't stop myself—not in the dream, and not in real life. The other guy struggled and managed to get in a few lucky shots, but I had the upper hand and I wasn't about to let him off easy. As the punches continued to rain down upon the man beneath me, all I could think was, 'Why? How could she?'_

_Before I knew it he was lying unconscious in a pool of his own blood on her once white carpet. I felt her wrap her arms around me, sobbing into my shoulder and trying to pull me away from his limp body._

_"Inuyasha," she cried, her tears soaking through my shirt. "How could you?"_

_I seemed to be in an almost catatonic state. The only thing I could register was that I had just viciously attacked someone. All at once it came flooding back to me._

_She had cheated on me._

_"How could I?" I asked, turning to her and pushing her arms off of me. "How could_ I!_ Kikyou, how long has this been going on?"_

_I felt the anger rising in me again and it took all of my strength to keep it down. I made a promise to myself a long time ago that I would never hit a girl, and I wasn't about go back on that now. She sank to her knees and began sobbing into her hands, mumbling something incomprehensible. I had enough._

_Grabbing the jacket that I must have thrown off sometime during the scuffle, I stormed out her door and down the hallway. I needed some fresh air.

* * *

_

Inuyasha shot up from bed, clutching his chest and trying to steady out his breathing. It was that nightmare again. Every night since it happened he had been reliving it in his dreams. It was as if the world was trying to mock him.

Glancing over to his alarm clock, he noticed that it was only a few minutes after midnight. He had enough time to get in a good night's rest before school in the morning, but he suddenly didn't feel tired anymore. Rather, he felt alert and very much awake. He decided that he wasn't going to get back to sleep any time soon and climbed out of bed.

For once he was glad that he slept in the clothes from the previous day as he grabbed the leather jacket hanging off of his desk chair and made his way outside. It was a muggy night and the air seemed to stick to his skin like thick dew. He pulled his long silver hair back and stuffed it into his helmet before climbing on his motorcycle and riding off.

Late night rides like this always seemed to calm him down. He could let his mind go and focus on the things around him—the purring of the motorcycle engine, the sound of the world rushing past him, the wind hitting his body. These were the things that set his mind at ease. On most nights he would just ride off in no particular direction until he got tired and headed for home. But tonight he had a destination.

He road noisily through the downtown section, weaving in and out of the light traffic that littered the roads. The town itself seemed to be asleep at this hour. The few twenty-four hour shops lit up the blocks, calling out to those late night travelers who were driving on two hours of sleep. But Inuyasha ignored all of this, keeping in mind his objective and driving on.

It didn't take long to get to the old seafood restaurant that he was looking for. It was the one that he had taken Kagome to earlier that day, and it was just as empty as it was then.

A few streetlights propped up along the coast set an eerie lighting to the beach as Inuyasha made his was down the sandy coastline toward his favorite place. The nature-made benches were abandoned as usual and he didn't hesitate to claim his place.

The ocean seemed so much more mysterious at night. The black waters kissed the shore in a low song to the heavens, giving the world a brief glimpse of its secrets. A few birds cawed their presence in the night skies, twirling around as if the time meant nothing to them. As Inuyasha sat there his mind seemed to go back to one person: Kagome. Those few hours he spent with her seemed almost magical.

She was the first person he had ever brought to his special spot. His dad used to bring him here when he was just a kid, too small to actually appreciate the beauty around him. When his father died, Inuyasha found himself coming here whenever he had something on his mind. It felt almost as if he was closer to his dad at this place.

He had to see her again; he knew this for certain.

* * *

"Kagome, dear, you have to get up." Kagome grumbled and turned over, pulling her blanket over her head and mumbling something about pink bunnies. "Kagome, you're going to be late!"

At those words, Kagome shot up from bed, staggering to her feet and looking around dazed. She saw her mother standing on the other side of her bed, the smile that was always there plastered across her face.

"Wha-" Kagome began, but was cut off by an unexpected yawn. "What time is it?"

"It's 8:45, dear. You must have forgot to set your alarm clock last night."

"8:45! Oh my god!" She quickly grabbed a clean uniform from her closet and shooed her mom from the room so she could get dressed, all the time mumbling, "I can't believe I slept in!"

Fifteen minutes later, a new record for her, Kagome rushed out of her room, still brushing her hair and fiddling with her makeup. She grabbed a waffle from the toaster and rushed out of the house.

"Bye mom!" She called over he shoulder as she ran to her car. Her mother just smiled and continued with the housekeeping.

Going twenty miles over the speed limit and running red lights, she still managed to be late for school. Kagome pulled into the parking lot ten minutes after the first bell, grumbling and cursing her misfortune.

The halls were empty as Kagome made her way to the attendance office, hoping to get an exemption from being tardy. There were three kids in the office already, waiting in line and talking amongst each other. Kagome immediately noticed the dirty looks they shot her when she opened the door.

'This still?' she thought with a frown. 'You'd think they'd have something better to talk about.'

The line moved quickly, and before Kagome knew it she was headed for her first period class. The day moved slowly from that point on. It seemed as if time was stuck in molasses and she found herself mentally screaming at the clock to move faster. It was all books and tests until lunch.

Kagome, deciding to avoid the stares that had been shot at her all day, evaded the lunchroom completely and headed straight for the main doors. Half way there she stopped when she heard someone call her name. Spinning around quickly, she saw Sango and Miroku at the end of the hallway, catching their breath and waving her over.

"Kagome!" Miroku spoke up as they ran to her side. "Listen, we're sorry about the other day, honestly."

"Yeah," Sango agreed. "We weren't thinking. You were right. Can you find it in your heart to forgive us?"

Kagome thought for a moment. She wasn't expecting them to apologize, especially not so soon. Did they really mean what they were saying?

"Well, I guess so. I mean, you were adult enough to apologize," Kagome smiled. Sango began jumping up and down, ecstatic to have her friend back. Kagome noticed Miroku looking at Sango's ass as she jumped up and down. "Pervert."

"Who, me?" He asked innocently.

"You know, you can come sit with us in the lunchroom if you want." Sango offered. Kagome looked over to the door and back at her friends, thinking over Sango's proposal. She was hoping to run into Inuyasha outside again today.

'Listen, Kags,' her conscious piped up. 'Go with your friends. They're exactly what you need right now. And you wouldn't want to let them down, would you?'

"Alright, thanks guys." They headed off toward the crowded lunchroom, Kagome occasionally looking over her shoulder towards the main door.

* * *

Inuyasha sat in his favorite tree out in the common, his eyes carefully trained on the main doors. Any minute now, Kagome would come out with her lunch and sit under his tree. That's when he would tell her.

Five minutes passed and Inuyasha began to worry. 'Where is she?' he thought, not taking his eyes from the door. 'She should have gotten her lunch by now.' The crowd of kids began to dwindle, and before long no one else was exiting the building. The strange feeling of his heart sinking into his chest overwhelmed Inuyasha. He had skipped the whole day of school, showing up at lunch just to see her. And then she doesn't show?

Inuyasha was never one to let his feelings get the best of him, but something inside of him felt rejected. 'She's probably sitting with her friends,' he tried to reassure himself. 'It's not like she knew I would be sitting out here.' But these thoughts didn't help heal the pain that filled his chest.

"I guess I'll catch her tomorrow, then," he whispered dejectedly, jumping from the tree and heading for the parking lot.

* * *

**AN: I start school at 9 and get out at 3:30. So that's where I got the time from…so, uhm, yeah.** **Oh, and this is definitely not the end of the whole Inuyasha/Kikyou thing. That'll slowly be revealed throughout the story. I'm not entirely sure what I want to happen to her yet, but I have a pretty good idea. **

**  
I hope that wasn't too short. I'm trying my hardest people! But I think the chapter was longer than the last (I could be wrong about that) and the next one will be longer. It's getting there…**

**Review, please!**


	7. Need More Time

**Not That Social **

**Chapter Six**

**AN: Uhm, I don't know what to say about this chapter…R&R please.**

**Special Disclaimer: I don't own "Need More Time" by the Epoxies. The lyrics are the property of Roxy Epoxy and her band. Don't sue.**

**I'm starting to lack in reviews (cries). I only got two for this chapter. :( **

**Reviewer Responses:**

**Kura-chan15: It's okay, and you're probably right. Oh well. I think this one REALLY is longer, but then again, I might be wrong…Thanks for the review! **

**Laurell-chan: This isn't this scene that I wrote earlier, but I'm actually very happy about how this turned out. I'm still looking forward to your next chapter!

* * *

**

Her life seemed to finally be filling itself out. It cost her, but in the end it was worth it. Kagome smiled at that thought. She had friends. For the first time since she moved she had friends to talk to, people to hang out with after school. At first she thought that it would be impossible to start over—to begin a new life after what had happened. But looking back on it now, she was happy that she made the decision that she had.

A year ago, she would have laughed at the person she had become. It was comical, now that she thought about it. Around Sango and Miroku she was the exact opposite of the girl she left behind in her old town. That thought brought a smile to her lips. Using her mother's words, she had finally come out of her shell.

"Kagome? Hellooo, earth to Kagome?" Sango's voice snapped her from her thoughts. "It's about time, I was starting to worry." She joked when she saw that her friend had finally returned to the land of the living.

"Sorry, guys," she blushed, digging through her packed lunch for something chocolate.

"Like I was saying, before Kagome found it too boring to listen to," Miroku pretended to sound upset. "There's this concert downtown next weekend. The Dresden Dolls? Ever heard of them, Kagome?"

"Are you serious? They're like my favorite band!" Kagome piped up. At the mention of the Dresden Dolls her mind unexpectedly flashed back to Inuyasha and the CD she saw in his backpack. She found herself thinking about him more often than not lately. 'Maybe he'd want to come, too?' she thought hopefully.

"Rock on," Miroku continued. "The tickets are only fifteen dollars. So, do you wanna' come?"

"Definitely," Kagome smiled. She had always wanted to see them in concert, and it would be a great chance to get to know her new friends better. But then her mind strayed back to Inuyasha; she couldn't seem to keep her mind off of him. "Is anyone else coming?"

"No," Sango answered, slightly puzzled. "Why? Was there someone you had in mind?"

'Don't say it, Kagome,' her inner-voice chose that moment to speak up. 'Do you remember what happened last time? They'll just shoot you down.' Deciding to ignore that inner-voice (she had been doing that a lot lately), she was determined to ask anyway.

"I was thinking maybe we could ask that boy Inuyasha to come," she smiled. At their confused looks she figured she had to continue. "Well, I saw a Dresden Dolls CD in his backpack once, and I just figured—"

"Listen, Kagome," Miroku took the wheel. "We'd love to, honestly, but I just don't think he'd want to hang out with us. He's not the most social of people."

"Yeah," Sango agreed. "I doubt he'd agree to go to a concert with us, I mean…yeah."

'Good argument,' Kagome thought bitterly. Understanding that the answer was a big fat 'no,' Kagome placed a fake smile on her lips and nodded in concurrence. She figured it was better to stay on their good side.

"So anyway, Mr. Myoga gave me an F on my math test," Miroku groaned, and Kagome was happy for the change of subject. Lunch that day continued on like normal, the subject never returning to Inuyasha.

* * *

"Hey mom, I'm home!" Kagome announced as she entered the house and making a beeline for the stairs.

"How was school, dear?" Mrs. Higurashi called out from the kitchen where she was busily preparing dinner.

"Great mom!" Kagome sprinted up the stairs and almost had to skid to a halt when she reached her bedroom door. Flinging open the door, she slammed her backpack down and immediately began to riffle through it.

"I have so much homework!" she growled out to no one in particular. Pulling out her math book, she opened it on her desk and began to get to work. Five minutes and three problems later, she decided that she needed some music. Pulling her chair from the desk, she stood up and walked over to the CD rack across the room.

That was one of the few things she could actually feel proud about in her room. She had a massive collection of CDs, more than any other kid she had ever met, in fact. The last time she tried to count them she only got to 473 before giving up. Running her fingers down the line of plastic CD cases, she closed her eyes and picked one at random. She knew that it didn't matter which one she picked, because there wasn't a CD in there that she didn't love. Opening her eyes she noticed that she had her Epoxies EP in her hands.

Taking out the CD, she placed it in her player and pressed play. The song "Need More Time" began blasting full volume and, with a smile, Kagome returned to her desk. Her math homework seemed to come a lot easier as Roxy Epoxy's voice floated to her ears.

_All the kids in the basement with a stereo_

_Nobody on the street and everybody knows_

_That they're running out of time_

_They're waiting on the line_

_And their laughing out of clothes_

Her mind should have been focusing on her homework, she knew this, but it kept straying. For a brief moment she wondered if she had A.D.D., but that thought quickly vanished. There was only one person that her mind kept turning to, and that was Inuyasha. She couldn't stop thinking about him.

His piercing golden eyes penetrated her mind, causing her to gasp and drop her pencil. They were so shockingly gold. She had never seen anything like them. They couldn't have been contacts; they were too real—too vibrant.

_They're all locked in and watching our old videos_

_Smoking cigarettes and fingers going up their nose _

_An they're wasting all their time_

_Thinking everything is fine_

_Not caring what Jim knows_

And then there was the hair. It was silver. Not gray like an old man's—but actual silver, like a coin. It almost seemed to shimmer in the sun. There was no way that could be dye. And it was longer than any other guy's in school. In fact, it was longer than most of the girl's hair, too. No doubt he got teased about that, right?

But it seemed as if he didn't care about what others thought of him. 'And why should he?' Kagome thought.

_I don't bother to ask why_

_When you're sitting home and crying_

_No time to…_

"This is ridiculous," Kagome sighed, figuring that her thoughts might vanish if she spoke them aloud. No such luck. He was still there, invading her mind and filling her soul with something she had never felt before. "Why am I feeling this way?"

She had a boyfriend in her old town—the only boyfriend she had ever had, actually, and that turned out horribly. But she never felt this way about him; he never plagued her thoughts throughout the day. 'Is that wrong?' she found herself asking. Maybe she never cared for him; maybe he was just some quick fix to her problems. Maybe—maybe she actually had feelings for Inuyasha?

"No! That's stupid!" She argued. "He was just being nice, and I'm reading too much into this! Yeah, that's it: I'm reading too far into this."

_I don't care why_

_I need more time_

_I don't care why_

The song came to an end and Kagome found herself thrown back into consciousness. She was sitting at her desk, her papers strewn about before her and her pencil on the floor—she didn't even remember dropping it. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she reached down to pick up her pencil before straightening her papers.

'That's strange,' she thought, looking at her paper and noticing that she still had forty-seven problems to go. 'I could have sworn I had more done than that. Oh well.'

* * *

He had to see her again. Originally he planned on waiting until lunch tomorrow to sit up in his tree and hope she wandered by, but he couldn't wait that long. It felt like there was something in his chest pulling him to her, like a giant magnet. The longer they were apart, the stronger the pull seemed to become.

That's why he was on his motorcycle; speeding through town at speeds much higher than the legal limit. If memory served him correctly, he was just a few blocks from her house. A part of him wanted to go bang on her door, but another part, the logical part, said to keep on driving. So he did.

He drove around that block what seemed like a hundred times, until the sun began to set and the streetlights came on. He was one of the only people on the road and he reveled in the feeling of having the space to himself. But time was of the essence, and the feeling in his chest was getting stronger. The need to see Kagome was burning a hole inside him, he had to see her—now.

Pulling his bike over a few houses from hers, he shut off the engine and prepared to get off. And then he stopped.

'What am I doing?' he thought with a short laugh. 'She's just a girl, I've never acted this way before.' He stared up at her house, darkened downstairs with only one light still on. He prayed that the one light was her bedroom—that she was sitting up and thinking about him just like he was her. But he knew the odds of that being true were slim-to-none.

"That's it," he spoke aloud, trying to calm his racing nerves. "It's now or never, Inuyasha. You want to know how she feels? Well, go ask her."

Taking one last deep breath, he pulled off his helmet and walked toward her house. He could have sworn that he felt his hands shaking and it took everything in his power not to turn back.

She lived in a beautiful two-story house, with a white-picket fence and everything. It reminded Inuyasha of something you would see in Good Housekeeping. He snuck around the hedges that lined their property, trying not to make too much noise. He stopped once he was under the room with the light on, planning what to do next.

'What if that's not even her window?' he thought. 'It might be her parents. How would I explain that one?'

Looking around the yard for some way to verify his conclusions, he spotted a large tree whose branches just happened to pass right below the window in question. Climbing the thick trunk, Inuyasha made his way to a sturdy branch where he could peak through the window.

He was right—it was her bedroom. He saw her sitting at her desk, hunched over some schoolbook and scribbling away furiously. From her stereo he picked out the faint sound of music playing. The band was the Flaming Lips, and he couldn't help but smile. They were one of his favorite bands.

He found himself staring at her back, trying to picture the determined look on her face. He wanted to be in that room with her, he wanted to be by her side. The glass that separated them was too thick, he felt like he could never break through it to get to her. He felt like he was locked outside.

And that's when it happened. She turned around, wiping her brow with her forearm, and stared at him. A look of surprise briefly shot across her features before she covered it up.

'I'm done for it now,' he thought. 'She's gonna' call the cops or something.'

* * *

Six hours later, Kagome still sat at her desk doing homework. She stopped for a break and some dinner earlier, but other than that, it had been non-stop work. The Flaming Lips were blasting from her stereo, playing the song "Do You Realize" and setting a strange mood to her studies.

She still had half of a paper to write before she could retire for the night. Groaning, she slammed her pencil down for the fifth time that night and turned around, hell-bent on taking a rest.

As she pushed her feet along the carpet and tuned her chair toward her bed, something outside caught her eye. It was a flash of silver. Peering more closely, she realized that it was Inuyasha. Her heart began to race, just moments ago she was thinking about him—wondering what he was doing. And now he was here, sitting outside her window and staring at her with those beautiful golden eyes.

'What is he doing here?' she asked herself. A part of her was frightened, but she quickly got over that and stood up.

Kagome made her way to the window and opened it, mindful of the missing screws in the top-right corner. A gust of wind rushed in to meet her as she slid open the glass pane, rumpling her hair and shaking her pajamas. She stared out at him, not sure what to say. The silence grew as he just stared back, a look of confusion on his face. He seemed to be just as surprised as she was.

"I-Inuyasha?" she tentatively called out, trying to calm her shaking voice. "What are you doing out there?"

He seemed to snap out of some sort of trance before responding, "Oh, well, you see…" He paused for a moment, trying to think of the right words before crossing his arms and continuing. "Feh. I wasn't spying on you, if that's what you think."

Kagome couldn't help but smile at his answer. He _was_ spying on her, but she didn't feel like she needed to be frightened by his actions.

"It's kinda' windy out there." She remarked after a moment, once more drawing his attention to her. "So do you want to come in?" Again he thought for a moment before sighing and climbing through the window.

'Kagome, what the hell do you think you're doing!' her conscious began to panic. 'You barely know him, and you're inviting him in!' But by now Kagome was pretty good at ignoring her inner-voice.

They stood there for a moment, just staring at each other, neither knowing quite what to say. Kagome felt a blush warming her cheeks as she tore her gaze from Inuyasha, preferring to stare down at her feet until she thought of an interesting conversation.

"So, uhm—" they both spoke up at the same time. Their eyes instantaneously locked, both laughing slightly at what just happened.

"You first," Kagome smiled meekly, knowing that she really had nothing to say. She noticed Inuyasha hesitate, rubbing the back of his head and looking at his feet. She had never seen him like this before.

"Well, this is going to sound totally lame, but I really wanted to see you." He didn't look at her when he said this, afraid of what she might say. What he didn't know was that Kagome's heart had just skipped a beat.

"R-really?" Kagome sensed the blush on her cheeks grow a deeper shade of red. She felt like a little girl again, unsure of herself and not knowing what to say next. "Well, I actually really wanted t-to see you, too."

He looked up then, their eyes meeting once more. But this time, neither of them backed down. Inuyasha wanted nothing more than to kiss her just then. Leaning in, he closed his eyes. Kagome, feeling her gut do a somersault, leaned in also, preparing for the kiss that she knew would change her life forever. Their lips were centimeters apart, she could feel his warm breath caressing her cheek—and that's when it happened.

"Kagome, dear, are you still working on your homework?" they both yanked away from each other, Inuyasha stumbling and landing flat on his ass, as Kagome's mother knocked on the door.

"Yeah, but I'm almost done, mom," Kagome called through the door, trying to catch her breath and sound like nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Okay dear, see you in the morning." Nothing could be heard for the next few seconds except for harsh breathing and the retreating of Mrs. Higurashi's footsteps. Inuyasha still sat on the floor, trying to arrange his thoughts and get a hold on himself, while Kagome stood staring at the door, shocked by what just happened.

'We're moving too fast,' she thought after a minute. 'We need to slow this down.'

"I better go," Inuyasha said quietly, standing up and walking toward the window. "I'm sorry about that." Before Kagome could object he was gone. Some seconds later she heard his motorcycle rumble off down the street.

She stood there for moment, her index finger tracing her lips where they would have just kissed, before collapsing to the floor with a single tear streaming down her face. But along with that tear, a slight laugh escaped her lungs.

"He actually likes me," she whispered with a smile. "He actually likes me.

* * *

**A/N: My British-ness came into battle with this fic in this chapter. I'm basing in the United States, even though I haven't really specified that yet. I just figured, you know, you'd be able to tell. Maybe not. Whatever, that's not the point. The point is the price of the concert tickets. I paid 25p for Dresden Dolls tickets last year…but I'm not good with the exchange rate. But 15 American Dollars sounds about right for an up-and-coming band, right? Good. Music is a big part of my life, even bigger than anime, actually. So, music will play a fairly big roll in several of these chapters. I know the band I've mentioned the most is the Dresden Dolls, but that's just because I'm going through a cabaret phase right now. They'll show up at least two more times, but other bands will as well. **

**All right, off subject question: Am I the ONLY ONE who has a hard time typing Miroku? I always end up putting Miroky, lol. Maybe it's just me…**

**That thing about the CDs is totally me. But I think I have more like…. 350, somewhere around there:-P**

**About the Epoxies, they kick ass, download them! Download "Beat My Guest" while you're at it, you won't be disappointed. The song I used really has nothing to do with the story, but I wanted to use it. So there. **

**I don't think that one was too short, but then again, I wrote it. So lemme know if you think I'm getting better at the lengths. **

**I'm thinking about adding some dark back-story to why Kagome moved…I know it's over done, but I think I might be able to throw a new twist on it. Lemme know what you think!**


	8. Coin Operated Boy

**Not That Social**

**Chapter Seven: Coin-Operated Boy**

**AN: O.o how'd you guys like that last one? Things are heating up, eh? Well, sort of, not really…shut up. Well, this one will focus more on Inuyasha's side of things (mainly because my friend Mandy said she wanted to see his home life)…so thank her. **

**Oh, and also, I made a bit of a mistake. In some of my author's notes I mentioned that I'm basing this somewhere in America, but my first chapter reads Japan. (I'm in the process of re-reading my story). I must've forgotten. But oh well, it's just the a/n's. I'm sure most of you ignore them anyway! **

**Special Disclaimer: I used the song "Coin-Operated Boy" in this chapter. I don't own it, it was written by Amanda Palmer, and the Dresden Dolls. So don't sue. But seriously, download this song if you're gonna read this story. It's so great!**

**Reviewer responses:**

**I got a lot of great reviews for my last chapter; so let's keep up the good work people!**

**TaintedMunkeyz: Your review made me so happy! I'm so glad. I know the plot is over done, but I thought that maybe I could shed new light on it. I'm VERY glad to hear that I'm doing a good job. I look forward to more of your reviews!**

**Creature of the Night: You're name wouldn't happen to be a Rocky Horror reference would it? If so, ROCK ON. If not…ok lol. I'm still not sure about the dark past thing, but if I do use it I have my muse. And also, about Inuyasha being a hanyou…you'll just have to read on to find out. (winks)**

**Kura-chan15: You're becoming a regular, aren't you? I'm glad you're sticking with the story, and your reviews are helping me to continue writing! Thank you!**

**Kamesha Harichi: Aww, thank you! It means the world to me, you have no idea!**

**Kagomefan595: I hope this chapter fulfills your hopes…**

**Ya1ya: I'm glad you like the music! Thank you for the review!

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**

"I can't believe I was so stupid!" Inuyasha shouted as he stormed through his front door, throwing his helmet down and stomping to the kitchen. The house was virtually empty, but Inuyasha knew that his older brother was somewhere upstairs, probably on the phone with business.

Sesshomaru worked downtown in one of the new skyscrapers that they put up on the corner of Fifth and Maple, the head of some company that their dad had left behind when he died. Inuyasha never took too much interest in the company, and hence didn't know too much about it. Hell, he didn't even know the name of the damn thing. All he knew was that Sesshomaru ran it, and that gave him an ego the size of Godzilla.

Inuyasha made his way towards the kitchen, trying to set his mind to food rather than the events that had just occurred. The cupboards were filled with protein supplements and health foods—something Sesshomaru insisted upon. He was known to be a bit controlling, and after their father died, he took over the family matters. That being Inuyasha.

He was about to grab a bag of chips—fat free chips, but chips nonetheless—when he heard someone call his name from upstairs.

"Inuyasha?" Sesshomaru's voice came floating down the stairs. "What are you doing home so late?"

Inuyasha couldn't help but roll his eyes. His older brother thought he was doing a good job of replacing their father, but Inuyasha knew that he didn't hold a candle to the man their father was. He popped a chip into his mouth before walking to the base of the stairs.

"What do you care?" He called up, not bothering to take his eyes off of the bag of chips in his hands.

"You have a curfew, you know." Sesshomaru spoke with authority, coming down the stairs at a brisk pace. Everyone always told Inuyasha how much he looked like his brother, but he didn't see the resemblance. "That curfew was two hours ago."

"You gonna' do something about it, _Sesshomaru_?"

"I have the right to know where you were. I am the parental unit in this family now, Inuyasha." Their eyes met and Inuyasha silently battled his brother, a fierce stare against a cold mask.

"Parental Unit? You're not dad, Sess, and you never will be. Give it a rest already." Inuyasha pushed passed his brother, knowing how much he hated that nickname, and headed for his bedroom. "I'm going to bed, don't bother me."

Sesshomaru stood there for a minute, wondering where he went wrong. He tried to fix the problems that arose when their father had died, but he felt as if he wasn't doing a very good job. Sighing, he climbed the stairs and went back to the papers he was signing in his office.

* * *

Kagome made her way into the lunchroom, looking out for her friends. He found Sango and Miroku sitting at a table by themselves, looking oddly crestfallen, and waiting for Kagome to arrive.

"Hey guys, what's wrong?" Kagome asked as she approached the table, setting down her things and pulling out her brown-bagged lunch.

"You mean you haven't noticed?" Miroku asked. "Shit Kagome, everyone's pissed at us, and I think I know why…"

"I don't get it," she commented after a second. "Why is everyone one upset at you guys?"

"Well," he continued, "we've been hanging out with you. And you stood up for Inuyasha that one day in the common. Apparently, now they feel like we're losers for being associated with you."

A strong feeling of guilt suddenly clenched at Kagome's soul. She felt responsible for what was happening to her friends. 'So, they're being teased for hanging out with me?' she thought. 'That's not right.'

"I guess you probably don't want me sitting by you, then." She sighed with her head down. She moved to pick up her things when Sango grabbed her arm.

"That's not what we're saying," she smiled. "We're used to not having many friends, anyway. It's just odd, that's all. We still want you to sit with us."

"But—" Kagome began to object.

"Seriously, Kagome," Miroku spoke up. "We've got each other, right? Who cares what those losers think?" She couldn't help but smile as she sat back down with her friends, but at the same time she still felt terribly guilty. It was her fault that her friends were being shunned, and it wasn't fair.

"I'm still really sorry, you guys." She apologized. "If I knew this would have happened—" She was then interrupted when she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. Twirling around quickly to find the guilty party, she came face-to-face with none other than Kouga Wolff.

"Hey, Kagome." He smiled from ear to ear, and Kagome had to suppress the urge to gag. "Can I talk to you for a moment?" He looked over to Sango and Miroku before adding, "Privately?"

"I don't know, Kagome, he could be planning something." Miroku whispered. She was just about to turn Kouga away when she felt a hand caress her bottom. Looking down, she found that the hand belonged to Miroku.

"Pervert!" She yelled, slapping him across the cheek and getting up to talk to Kouga. "I'll be right back, guys."

As she turned from the table she felt Kouga reach out and grab onto her hand, squeezing it gently. At first Kagome got the urge to pull away, but then figured that there was no harm in it and let it stay. They walked that way for a few minutes until they were in an empty hallway together.

"Listen, Kagome," Kouga began, his voice low and his face near hers. "I'm sorry about the way people have been treating you, it's wrong."

She paused for a moment, taking in his semi-serious face, and had to hold back a laugh. "It's your fault most of them talk about me."

"I know, I know." He sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again they were locked on hers. "And I want to apologize about that. It's just that such a beautiful girl like yourself shouldn't be sticking up for someone like…_him_."

"Him? You mean Inuyasha?" She felt herself getting mad at Kouga, and figured it was best to end this conversation quickly. "Listen, Inuyasha's a nice guy. If you have a problem with that, then you have a problem with me." Kouga stood there a moment, mouth agape and wondering what just happened. He had never been turned down by a girl before.

"You don't know what you're saying," he argued. He grabbed a hold of her upper arm and yanked her toward him. "Seriously, you might want to change your mind."

"Fuck you!" she spat, slapping him across the face. The stinging in his cheek distracted him long enough to let her run. Kagome sprinted down the hallway, not stopping until she was back in the lunchroom. Her body was moving faster than her mind, which was still back with Kouga. She couldn't believe that he could be so possessive.

"Kagome, what happened?" Sango asked when she saw her friend's flustered appearance. Kagome sat down, taking a minute to catch her breath and order her thoughts.

"That asshole Kouga," she sighed after a moment. "He was just being a jerk." Understanding that her friend obviously didn't want to talk about it, Sango took the opportunity to change the subject.

"So we still up for that concert tonight?" she asked with a grin, trying to take everyone's minds off the events of the day. Miroku beamed, a lecherous grin spreading across his face. "What's up with you?"

"Oh nothing," he practically sang, giving her his 'innocent' face. "I was just thinking about how lovely it will be to have the company of two beautiful ladies for the evening." Both girls shared a knowing look before slapping Miroku over the back of the head.

"There will be none of that, Houshi." Sango chided, using his last name like a mother would to a misbehaving child. They all laughed and continued on with lunch, talking about the concert and forgetting all about Kouga.

* * *

"Wow, this place is packed!" Kagome shouted over the crowd of people. They had reached the small concert hall an hour early, in hopes of pushing their way through the mass of people to the front of the stage, and already the building was packed. People lined up down the street to buy their tickets, many of which were dressed in cabaret-style clothing. "This is going to be great!"

They each paid the teller at the door, receiving a neon green wristband, and made their way into the hall. There were people clustered everywhere, most by the bar in the lobby. Some people were already standing by the stage, taking to their friends and waiting for the opening act. This was the first show Kagome had been to in a long time, and she loved it. The feel of the concert hall seemed to almost rejuvenate her soul. She felt more alive than ever before.

"What should we do now that we're here?" Miroku asked with a semi-bored tone to his voice. They all shrugged and made their way into the main hall, their lungs filling up with the thick cigarette smoke that danced lazily across the ceiling. There were a few recessed lights shinning down in a pale yellow from the ceiling and the stage was completely dark, giving the room and almost spooky feel.

The band of three elbowed their way through the still growing crowd until they were right up against the stage, inches away from the speakers. A feeling of pure enjoyment suddenly enthralled Kagome's soul and she couldn't help but smile. She was in her element—this was where she belonged.

Time flew by quickly and before they knew it the lights blinked out and the sound of amplifier feedback echoed through the hall. The crowd began to scream and push forward, crushing Kagome and her friends against the stage. But she didn't mind it; this was what she came here for.

The opening act came on stage, some nobody band called Alice's Hope. They wound up the crowd like nobody's business, jumping right into a guitar solo at the beginning of their first song. They were a great band, jumping around on stage and very animated. But Kagome was waiting for the Dresden Dolls to make their move. They were, after all, who she came to see in the first place.

Alice's Hope played a decent twenty minute set, ending with a cover of the classic 4-skins song "Clockwork Skinhead." The crowd cheered just as loud as they did when they came on, and the lights once again flicked off. The overhead lights dimmed back on to a smoky yellow, and Kagome could actually feel the energy in the air. Everyone was ready for the show.

"This is fucking sweet!" Sango yelled over the people, hopping onto Miroku's back. Kagome gave her a strange look at first, questioning her friends motives for getting so close to the letch, but then wrote it off to being long time friends. 'There's no way something could be goin on between them,' she thought.

"Sango, I have to go to the bathroom." Kagome whispered, not wanting Miroku to hear her personal matters. "Will you show me where it is?"

"Sure!" Sango jumped down from Miroku's back and they pushed their way to the front lobby, where there was a long line outside of the girl's restroom. It moved surprisingly fast, and once they were inside Kagome grabbed Sango and pulled her into an empty stall. "What's going on, Kagome?"

"We have to talk." Kagome smiled evilly. "I saw the way you were all over Miroku out there."

"I don't know what you're talking about…" she blushed, preferring to stare down at her feet than at Kagome.

"Oh, come on, Sango. I may not know you _that_ well, but I think I can tell when you like someone." She smiled. "So spill."

"I think we should get back, the band's gonna' start playing soon—" she turned to leave but Kagome grabbed her arm and spun her around.

"Please, Sango. Who am I gonna' tell?"

Sango sighed, admitting defeat. "Fine, I'll tell you. But I swear to God, if Miroku finds out…" Kagome smiled and stuck out her pinky. Sango looked at it for a moment, before taking it into her own, sealing the deal. "Okay, well, I've kinda' liked him for a while now."

"Well, shit, I could've told you that one!" Sango shot her a dirty look before continuing.

"I get that now, okay? But, I mean, he's _Miroku_. You know?" A look of utter frustration took over Sango's face for a moment, before she smiled back at her friend. "What would you do if you were in my position? I just…I don't know if I could handle ruining our friendship if he says no…"

Kagome thought for a moment, taking in every detail and considering both of her friend's feelings. "Personally? I think I'd ask him out. But that's just me!"

They shared a quick laugh before Sango smiled—one of those pure smiles that Kagome had only seen twice before. She hooked her arm around Sango's shoulders and they exited the stall together, gaining a few odd glances from a few of the girls in the bathroom.

"Oh, don't mind us," Sango laughed and pointed to Kagome. "My lover here was just having a crises." Both girls laughed, Kagome's face flaming red, and exited the bathroom.

"I think the band's ready to start!" Kagome shouted, grabbing Sango's hand and pulling her to the crowd. They were halfway through the sea of people when a flash of silver somewhere to her right caught her eye. 'Could it be…' she thought for a moment. "Sango, you go find Miroku. I'll catch up, okay?"

Her friend smiled before letting go of her hand and pushing her way through the crowd, searching out Miroku. Kagome turned around, trying to find that which caught her eye a second ago. The crowd seemed to push forward just then, throwing her off balance and causing her to loose her sense of direction. She spun around in circles, trying desperately to find her target. And then she saw him…

Standing a few feet away, eyes trained on the stage ahead of him, Inuyasha stood bobbing his head to a beat that only he could hear. The crowd moved around him, pushing toward the stage in anticipation of the upcoming act. Kagome stood for a moment, just staring, before shaking her head and making her way over to him. She got right up next to him and playfully poked him in his shoulder in an attempt to gain is attention. It worked.

"Oh, hey." He smiled, glancing at her before facing the stage again. He wasn't expecting to see her there, and to have her right by his side after the other night caused a series of conflicting emotions to rush through him.

"What are you doing here?" she asked just to make conversation. 'Stupid question, Kagome,' her conscious scolded.

"Stalking out my next victim," he said without a moment's hesitation. His answer took her by surprise and she once again found herself staring at him, unsure of what to say. "I was just kidding," he said after a second, looking down and smiling at her. "Enjoying the show?"

"Yeah, it's great," she answered, relieved that he was just messing around with her. "I can't wait for the Dresden Dolls to take the stage!" She found herself yelling over the crowd of people, not knowing if he could hear her or not.

"It shouldn't be long now," he answered. "They should be almost done setting up."

As if on queue, the lights went out and the crowd screamed. The stage was still completely black as the opening notes to "Coin Operated Boy" began playing from the speakers. The crowd pushed forward, harder than before, and Kagome felt herself loosing her footing. She was about to trip when she felt Inuyasha's arms wrap around her, holding her upright.

"Be careful," he smiled. "They might start a pit, and you don't want to get trampled." He winked at her before turning back to the stage, his arms still around her waste. Kagome was now standing in front of him, pressed between him and a girl in front of her, and she never felt closer to him. She could feel his breathe on her neck, hot and quick, and a smile graced her lips as he began slightly jumping up and down with the motion of the crowd.

"Listen, about last night—" she began, but was quickly cut off by the screaming of the crowd and the blaring music.

Amanda Palmer took the stage, quickly followed by Brian Viglione, who took his place behind his custom drum set. She opened her mouth and began singing in that off key, yet amazingly enthralling, style she had.

_Coin operated boy_

_Sitting on the shelf, he is just a toy_

_But I turn him on and he comes to life_

_Automatic joy_

_That is why I want a coin-operated boy_

The music drifted to Kagome's ears, and she felt caught up in the energy of the crowd. Jumping up and down, mindful of Inuyasha's arms, which were still securely around her waist, she began to loose herself to the music.

_Made of plastic and elastic_

_He is rugged and long lasting_

_Who could ever, ever ask for more?_

_Love without complications galore_

_Many shapes and weights to choose from_

_I will never leave my bedroom_

_I will never cry at night again_

_Wrap my arms around him and pretend…_

She didn't know if she had imagined it or not, but Kagome could have sworn that Inuyasha's grip on her tightened at that last line. The music continued to play, and she found herself blocking out the hundreds of people around her. It felt like it was just her and Inuyasha standing there, enjoying a private show. She didn't have to be in the front of the crowd for it to be magical.

_Coin operated boy_

_All the other real ones that I destroy_

_Cannot hold a candle to my new boy and I'll_

_Never let him go and I'll never be alone_

_Not with my coin operated boy…_

The music suddenly changed to that of something upbeat and happy, drifting across the room and giving the room a whole new feel. It was miraculous. The crowd stilled as Amanda Palmer burst out into the bridge that gave the song its power.

_This bridge was written to make you feel smittener_

_With my sad picture of a girl bitterer _

_Can you extract me from my plastic fantasy?_

_I didn't think so but I'm still convincible _

_Will you persist even after I bet you_

_A billion dollars that I'll never love you?_

_Will you persist even after I kiss you _

_Good-bye for the last time?_

_Will you keep on trying to prove it?_

_I'm dying to lose it…_

_I want it_

_I want you_

_I want a coin-operated boy._

The crowd went wild as the bridge ended and Palmer broke into an amazing piano solo, playing and eerie melodica that was unique only to this band. The room was going wild once again and the performers loved it. The solo lasted a whole minute longer than in the recorded version of the song and then came to an abrupt halt, driving straight back into the style of the rest of the song.

_And if I had a star to wish on_

_For my life I can't imagine_

_Any flesh and blood could be his match_

_I can even take him in the bath_

Kagome looked over her should at Inuyasha, who had the biggest grin on his face she had ever seen. The words seemed to take on a whole new meaning in that moment. She stood there, listening to the words, and thought, 'maybe he could be _my_ coin-operated boy…"

_Coin operated boy_

_He may not be real experienced with girls _

_But I know he feels like a boy should feel_

_Isn't that the point?_

_That is why I want a_

_Coin operated boy_

_With his pretty coin operated voice_

_Saying that he loves me and that he's thinking of me_

_Straight and to the point_

_That is why I want _

_A coin operated boy._

The song came to an end and Kagome heard Inuyasha cheering with the rest of the crowd. She could feel his happiness, and it was contagious. She found herself screaming along, coaxing the band on to their next song. They exploded into 'Girl Anachronism' and the crowd was electric. Everyone was cheering, but all Kagome could focus on was the feeling of being this close to Inuyasha.

She wanted to stay this way forever, nestled in his arms and surrounded by great music. She felt more at home here than anywhere else. The night was on fire, and she wanted it to never stop.

* * *

**AN: Uhm, I don't speak Japanese. So even though this is supposed to be Japan, those street names aren't really Japanese. I just didn't want to have to look up some words and do all that work…so bear with me. :-P I tried to capture how I feel when I go see a great concert with Kagome. It's like my life. I just hope I did a good job.**

**You cannot use the name Alice's Hope. It's a local band, and the names taken. I got permission, but you probably don't have it. Sorry.**

**Also, I start school tomorrow, so updates might slow down. But I'll try my best. But you guys need to review!**


	9. Beautiful to Me

**Not That Social**

**Chapter Eight: Beautiful to Me **

**AN: First off, I want to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter! Secondly, I apologize about the updating. School started this week and things have been a little rougher than I thought they would be. Add in some serious family problems…and yeah. So if updates are slow, I sincerely apologize. But no worries, I won't abandon this story! Uhm, I was listening to "The Killing Moon" by Echo and the Bunnymen when I wrote this…if that means anything. **

**Responses:**

**Mademoiselle Fleur: Thank you for all of your reviews! Hehe, do whatever you want. I'm just glad you like the story!**

**Textrose: I'm not sure about Kagome's past just yet, but I'm working it out. As for Sango and Miroku…well, you'll just have to read and find out. **

**Creature of the Night: I'm sorry you're still confused. All I can say, though, is that information will be provided in later chapters. You'll just have to keep reading the story if you want to know…But thanks for the review!**

**Nomadgirl666: Here's the update, thanks for reading!**

**Laurell-chan: Of course you spoiled me. :-P Yep, yep, yep…they're getting longer. I think I might be getting the hang of this…**

**TaintedMunkeyz: I'm glad you liked it! Yeah, I'm usually into more hardcore stuff, too. But lately I've been going through this Cabaret stage…I don't know what it's about. :-P**

**Fornwalt: Hehe, you caught me just in time, here it is!**

**I hope I got everyone. If I forgot any reviewers, feel free to yell at me in your next review! Hehe, sorry.

* * *

**

"Listen, I really need to talk to you," he said in a low voice, whispering the words in her ear so only she could hear.

The concert had ended and Inuyasha and Kagome were standing in the main lobby, their hands interlocked. He stared at her—not just looked, but actually peered into the bottom of her soul. She felt like he was pulling at her heartstrings, calling her to him. He, on the other hand, couldn't believe this was happening.

"What do you want to talk about?" she asked after a moment's hesitation, squeezing his hand a little tighter and offering a warm smile.

"It's just that—"

"Kagome!" Miroku shouted, pushing his way through the crowd, Sango not far behind. Inuyasha shut his mouth, instead settling for shooting Miroku a death glare. "There you are, we've been looking everywhere for you!"

"Sorry guys," she apologized, turning to meet them. Unconsciously, her hand slipped from Inuyasha's and he immediately missed the warmth it provided. "I was just hanging out with Inuyasha…"

"Oh, hey, Inuyasha." Sango greeted halfheartedly, flashing him a brief smile before turning back to Kagome. "So, you ready to hit the road, Kagome?"

"Actually, I was just gonna' talk to—"

"Nah, it's no big deal. I'll catch you around, Kagome." Inuyasha interrupted her, stuffing his hands into his pockets and briskly walking toward the door. Kagome stood there for a moment, not quite understanding what had just happened, before she turned back to her friends.

"That was strange," she commented absently. "Uhm, I guess I'm ready. Did you guys like the show?" Both of her friends nodded and went on to describe their favorite songs, but Kagome's mind was still on Inuyasha. 'Why would he just take off like that?'

It didn't seem like him to just take off, and that thought bothered her. 'What if he had something really important to tell me?'

"Hey, Kagome…you there?" Miroku asked, comically snapping his fingers in front of her face. She blinked and snapped out of her thoughts, focusing on her friends. She looked around and noticed that they were standing outside of Miroku's car in the parking lot.

"Sorry, guys, I must have dosed off there for a moment." She apologized, bowing her head in embarrassment.

"You seem to be doing that a lot lately," Sango commented.

"It's nothing, guys." She laughed. "The speakers were just really loud and I'm in a bit of daze. That's all." She gave an honest smile, something she had mastered over the years, and climbed into the car before they could argue the subject further.

'I just don't understand it,' she thought once she had buckled up her seatbelt. 'Why did he just take off like that when Sango and Miroku showed up? I wonder what he wanted to tell me…'

* * *

"What the hell was I thinking?" Inuyasha mumbled angrily as he made his way to the back of the theatre, where his motorcycle was parked in a back alley. "God, I'm fucking stupid. Of course she wouldn't want to do that…"

He picked up his helmet to put it on when a thought crossed his mind. Pissed, he threw the helmet to the ground and took off, leaving the theatre behind him.

The night was cold, and he could feel the wind whipping against his face. The feeling of his hair free from the confines of his helmet made him smile as he zipped down the street, passing up all the cars and rushing off towards the horizon. The city was sleeping and he couldn't help but think of all the people he was annoying with his loud engine. That thought brought a smile to his lips.

Before he knew it, he was heading up the coastline. The waves crashed against the shore beneath him as he dashed down the empty highway, not caring about the speed limit. His speedometer was pushing 85 mph, and he wanted to go faster. Revving the engine, he sped up. The scenery around him began to blur and all he could see was the road in front of him. As he pushed his bike faster and faster, a lone tear slipped from his eye and flew behind him—gone before it was ever really there.

Inuyasha slammed on his breaks, fishtailing his bike and coming to an abrupt halt in the middle of the road. For a moment, all that existed was him, the night, and the smell of burning rubber. He climbed off the bike and headed to the guardrail that protected the road from the thirty-yard drop to the ocean. The ocean waves were crashing against the rocks below, sending up a thunderous cry to the heavens.

He took a deep breath, holding it in his lungs for an instant before exhaling. As the air rushed from his lungs he collapsed to the ground, his fists clenched at his side.

"Why the hell couldn't I just ask her?" he asked between clenched teeth, slamming his left fist into the concrete. "What's the worst that could possibly happen?"

A little voice in the back of his mind told him that, in fact, everything could happen. That if he let her into his life, everything would go down hill from there. And, to Inuyasha's disappointment, he couldn't prove that voice wrong.

He felt angry. Angry at her friends for interrupting at exactly the wrong moment. Angry at her for just going to them. But most of all, he was angry with himself for not telling her.

Lifting his head to the skies, Inuyasha let out a howl that would put a banshee to shame. He held that scream for a good minute, just letting every emotion fly from his mouth. A certain weight seemed to be lifted from his shoulders just then, rushing from his body with his voice. When he was done his throat was aching and parched, and he felt a tear trace the lines of his face. He sat there like that, his head in his hands on the side of the road, for what seemed like hours before getting up and heading back to his abandoned motorcycle.

"I have to do it…" he whispered to himself as he took off.

* * *

By the time Kagome got home that night the house was dark and her mother was already in bed. She climbed the stairs as silently as she could, making her way to her bedroom and shutting the door softly behind her. All the lights were off in her room except for a small lamp by her bedside, casting a light pink glow across the room.

"Inuyasha…" she sighed, grabbing a small hand-towel from a drawer and heading for the bathroom. Kagome turned on the tap at a low level so not to awaken her mother who was in the next room sleeping, wetting and lathering the towel before heading back to her room.

She switched on another lamp, but it was still dark and she could just make out her reflection in her vanity. Taking a seat, she stared at herself for a moment before bringing the towel to her face and wiping off her makeup.

She ran the towel across her eyelids first, watching as the blues and blacks faded away and left a faint line before disappearing all together. As she got to the foundation, she held back a sob as it seemed to come off in thick globs, covering the towel and causing her to fold it over several times. There was so much makeup, so much to her mask, that it felt like it would never come off. But as she finished her job, she looked towards the mirror and couldn't stop the tears from falling.

The girl staring back at Kagome was a stranger. She was some little girl that she never wanted to see again, a little girl that Kagome found hideous. She tried to hold the sobs in, but they racked her chest and broke the dam. Tears began to flow from her eyes, all because she looked in the mirror.

"No wonder he ran from me," she sobbed, hiding her face in her hands. She felt as if her reflection was looking down on her, mocking her for being so stupid. "I'm repulsive."

Her tears seemed to refuse to stop pouring, and she turned from the vanity and headed for the bed. Burying her face in her pillow, she let out a frustrated moan. All that she could think was how ugly she looked in that mirror. Her pillow grew wet with salty tears, and she felt her sobs slowly die down, leaving her feeling hollow.

"I need to stop this," she sniffled, rubbing her nose with the back of her hand. She crawled off the bed, trying to steady herself on wobbly legs, and headed for her dresser across the room. Kagome pulled out her favorite pair of pajamas, a matching red top and pair of pants dotted with little white puppies. She slipped into her pajamas and put her dirty clothes in her hamper, taking off her wristband from the concert and placing it on her dresser. She turned and headed back for the bed when she heard something bang on her window.

Kagome's first reaction was to panic— someone's breaking in! —but then she calmed down and listened as the sound came again. It sounded like rocks being thrown. Chewing on her bottom lip, she sheepishly made her way to the window. It was locked and took a moment to open, but once she did she was shocked by what she saw.

Inuyasha was standing in her backyard, a handful of rocks in his hand and a solemn smile on his face.

'Oh no,' Kagome thought. 'I'm not wearing any makeup! He can't see me like this!' "You can't be here!" she shouted, not realizing how rude she sounded, before slamming the window and collapsing to the floor.

'What the hell is he doing here?' she thought. And then she thought back to the last time he showed up outside her window. 'He almost kissed me that night…' Kagome was about to turn around and let him in when she felt a tapping on her window. This time it didn't sound like rocks being thrown—it sounded like someone knocking on her window.

* * *

Her house was dark like he suspected. There was a pale pink light shining from her bedroom and a feeling of warmth immediately filled his soul. She was right there, up in her room—so close, yet entirely out of reach.

Inuyasha parked his motorcycle a few houses down and silently killed the engine. Licking his lips, he climbed from his bike and took a few steps toward her house. Like the first time, he hesitated, unsure of her reaction.

'I need to do this,' he encouraged himself. With a sigh of acceptance he walked across the street and into her backyard. There was a light on over the backdoor but, other than that, the yard was dark. He stood there for a second, just staring up at her window and wondering what she was doing. That's when he spotted a small path of pebbles nearby. It reminded him off all those teen movies he saw where the guy would come to the girl's house and throw pebbles at her window. Deciding that it was probably one of those things she liked, he grabbed a handful of rocks.

The first rock missed the window completely, instead bouncing off the side of the house and landing with a thud beside him. The second, however, was dead on. The stone connected with the glass window with a soft knock before gravity took over and pulled it back to the earth. When nothing happened, he threw another one.

Inuyasha waited a moment, crossing his fingers and hoping she would come to the window. It took a few seconds and he was about to throw a fourth rock when the window swung open and Kagome stuck her head out.

Inuyasha let out a breath that he didn't even know he was holding when he saw her face. He couldn't tell exactly because of the lack of lighting, but he thought she looked surprised to see him. And that's when she yelled down to him.

"You can't be here!" her voice drifted down to him, sounding angry and troubled. The next thing he knew, the window was slammed shut and he was left in the dark.

'That didn't really just happen, did it?' he thought. 'She can't be that mad about earlier. Maybe…maybe it's just me she doesn't want to see.'

He was about to head back when something stopped him. There was this feeling deep within his chest—something pulling him towards her house. He had the strangest suspicion that she had been crying recently. This thought alone caused him to turn around and head to the old tree.

'This is the tree I climbed that first night,' he thought, with his hand pressed up against the bark. If it weren't for this tree, he probably wouldn't be in the position he was now. Climbing the massive trunk, Inuyasha made his way up. His foot slipped twice and his jacket caught a branch once, but he made it. Her window was right there, and all he had to do was reach out and push it open.

He lifted his hand, gently balled into a fist, and knocked on the window. There was a rustling on the other side, before Kagome's figure appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Her eyes were red from crying and there were tear tracks down her cheeks. She just stood there, staring at him with an unreadable expression, before opening the window.

"I told you, you can't be here," she whispered, letting her hair fall over her face. He was taken aback for a moment, before he climbed forward and through her window.

He could tell that she was surprised that he would just walk in like that, but he sensed no fear. Reaching out an unsure hand, he tucked some of her hair behind her ear.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, tilting her head up so he could look into her eyes. There was something different about her—but he couldn't quite place it. She seemed more real than earlier…more beautiful. And then it hit him: she wasn't wearing makeup. 'Was that why she wanted me to leave?'

She looked up at him, obviously not expecting him to apologize. She saw him staring at her, but she couldn't read his expression and she began to worry that he would find her ugly. She began to pull away from him when he continued.

"You shouldn't wear so much makeup," he smiled. "You so much more beautiful without it."

He watched her as a tear rolled down her cheek, and he wasn't sure exactly why she was crying. 'Did I say something wrong?' he thought.

"Why would you say something like that?" she asked, her voice cracking a little. She let the rest of her tears fall, not bothering to hide them.

"I couldn't lie to you," he answered honestly. "You're beautiful."

A flood of emotions overtook her just then and she grabbed hold of him, hugging him to her and sobbing into his shoulder. He froze for a moment before slowly lifting his hands and wrapping them around her, patting her back lightly as she continued to cry.

"It's going to be okay," he whispered. "There's no reason to cry."

"You don't understand," she looked up at him, sniffling her nose. "You're the first person to ever say anything like that. You have no idea what it means to me."

He couldn't help but smile. Lifting up a hand, he gently wiped away the tear tracks that were threatening to permanently stick to her face. His heart began to pound in his chest and he leaned into her. This was the moment—the time for everything to happen that couldn't happen before. He closed his eyes, knowing that she did the same, and leaned in. They stopped simultaneously, centimeters apart, both unsure of themselves. And then, to Inuyasha's surprise, Kagome pushed forward and they kissed.

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**Hehe, I edit-ed it. I wonder if you can tell…**

**Oh god, I know it was short. Terribly short, in fact. It's just that…well, I'm having a hard time right now and it's difficult to write. Not just this, but everything. I feel…kinda lost in life right now. So please forgive me. I will try to update quickly, hopefully within the next couple of days.**


	10. Unseen Beauty

**Not That Social**

**Chapter Nine**

**Responses:**

**Kagomefan595: No, there's nothing wrong with her face—per se. She just has very low self-esteem and views herself as being hideous without makeup on. I guess I should have made that clearer, I'm sorry.**

**Ya1ya: hehe, thank you for your review! I really appreciate it!**

**Inuyasharoxursox2: I have one word for you: Ignorance.**

**SPGD Freak: I actually have to disagree; I can't believe how many reviews I AM getting! I know Inu's a bit OOC, but I think it works with the story, right? Thanks for your review!**

**Creature of the Night: You're question shall FINALLY be answered in this chapter! **

**Kagometalim: I'm just glad you're reading it!**

**Mademoiselle Fleur: I really like your story Something, and it pleases me to no end that you like mine. Thank you for taking the time to review!**

**Nomadgirl66: Here's your update!**

**Mini Nicka: Yeah, that was one of my favorite parts in the chapter, too. I think it really showed his character and nature well. **

**TaintedMunkeyz: thanks for reviewing. It's nice to hear from someone empathetic. Thanks again.**

**Evanescntlight: I really liked your review. It made me feel…better in a way. Does that make any sense? Oh well, thank you so much. **

**Fornwalt: I didn't quite get this done that night, sorry. But here's the next chapter, anyway!**

**Laurell-chan: I know, I can't believe how many bloody reviews I'm getting! It's crazy. Love ya, doll!**

**Bon Hanyou--I'm so happy! here's the update!**

**Okay, I think that's all of them. But here's the thing: I'm only going to be answering the reviews that have questions in them from now on. It's nothing personal, it's just that I'm getting more than I expected and I highly doubt everyone appreciates scrolling through my unnaturally long an's.

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It happened so fast. One minute he was on his motorcycle and the next he was in her bedroom—kissing her. Her warm lips pressed against his with a harshness that told him that she was just as nervous as he was, even though she hid it well.

He had kissed girls before; it wasn't anything new to him. But something about this time felt different. He felt like this was where he belonged. The kiss wasn't anything special; it was quick, sloppy, and nervous. But none of that mattered to him. He had her in his arms, and that was the only thing he cared about.

They both broke the kiss after only a few moments, pulling apart and staring into each other's eyes. Neither of them knew what to say, and Inuyasha swiftly felt a blush spread across his face and he turned his head to hide it.

Noticing this, Kagome also blushed. She pulled away from him slightly, still holding on to his hand, and sat down on her bed. He hesitantly followed her, stilling down next to her.

"I'm not really sure…" she began, but stopped. He looked up at her, encouraging her to continue, but she didn't.

"Listen," he tried. "I—I've never really felt this way before, Kagome. I'm being honest, there's just something about you…"

He felt her relax beside him, releasing a sigh of release before smiling brightly. "That's so strange, because I had the same feeling. I just didn't say anything because," she stopped, giggling slightly. "Well, I thought you would think I was crazy."

"I could never think that." He smiled and squeezed her hand tightly.

"So, what now?"

He knew she would ask this, but still the question came as a surprise. He didn't really know how to answer her. He wanted to continue seeing her, but that nagging voice in the back of his head…

"Well," he spoke up, trying to divert his thoughts. "I was hoping that I could see you again. It's not like I intended for this to be a one-night stand sort of thing."

She smiled at this, knowing that he was having a hard time expressing his feelings. "I'm glad."

Uncharacteristic to her, she grabbed him again and kissed him once more. This time the kiss wasn't clumsy; it wasn't short. It was…perfect. Time seemed to stop entirely as they sat there, wrapped in each other's arms. Inuyasha leaned into her touch, deepening the kiss and closing his eyes. She reached up and tangled her fingers into his windblown hair, and that's when she felt something.

Curiosity got the best of her, and Kagome lifted her hand to the top of his head, groping for whatever it was that just brushed against her fingers. Inuyasha, too caught up in the moment, didn't notice her actions.

Her hands snaked in and out of clumps of hair, tracing along the top of his skull until she was at the very top. And then she found them.

Two soft, velvet dog-ears were perched at the top of his head. Shocked, she felt around for something tha could attach them, hoping to find that they were some sort of toys. When she found none, she panicked.

Inuyasha felt Kagome jerk away from him, breaking the kiss and stumbling backwards. A confused look crossed his face, and then he saw where her eyes were directed. His heart began to race and he raised his hands in a 'surrender' possession out of panic.

"Don't freak," he whispered harshly, "I can explain." His voice came out calm and convincing, but his mind was racing a mile-a-minute.

'What the hell was I thinking! The spell must've worn off! I should've been watching what I was doing!' He began to panic as she opened her mouth, fearing what would come out.

"They're—they're so…cute!" she squealed, seemingly snapping from a dream, and rushing toward him. Her hands immediately went to the top of his head and began rubbing his ears like one would a puppy.

He was about to shove her away, not used to that type of contact, when a sudden wave of contentment washed over him. Before he could protest, a smile spread across his lips and he began to emit a low purr.

Kagome began to giggle at the rumbling coming from him, and she leaned her ear against his chest to hear it better. She could feel his chest vibrating with the low growl, and she couldn't help but smile even wider.

'What the hell do you think you're doing?' her inner-voice choose that moment to wake up. 'There's something wrong with him! You should be running!' She ignored that voice until it spoke up again. 'He could probably kill you with those claws of his!'

As if on queue, Inuyasha raised his hand and wrapped it around her wrist. However, it wasn't done in a threatening manner. Rather, he seemed to be encouraging her actions. When she looked up at his hands, she saw the claws that adorned each finger and her heart began to race. They could easily cut through her.

Kagome raised her hand to her mouth, seemingly trying to hold in the scream that threatened to escape her lips. Her breath came in quick pants, and Inuyasha could hear her heart-rate kick up a few notches. She took a step backwards, her mind racing, before she stopped and her brain began to process what she had just seen.

"H-How?" She managed to ask after a second, trying to calm her nerves. Inuyasha stared at her for a second, not really sure how to answer her, before he stepped forward and grabbed onto her hand.

"Look, they're the same hands that held yours earlier…just a little different," he smiled, trying to get her to look him in the eyes. But her gaze was locked onto his hands, which firmly held on to both of hers. "Kagome, I—"

"Y-You're a hanyou…right?" she stuttered, finally looking him in the eye. He jumped back a bit, startled that she knew.

'How the hell does she know what a hanyou is?' he thought, astounded. "Kagome, how…how do you know what I am?"

She stared at him for a moment, trying to think of a response. 'How _do _I know what a hanyou is?' she asked herself. 'I've never heard of a hanyou before…have I?'

"I-I'm not really sure," she answered honestly. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to sort out her thoughts, and that's when she felt it. She could sense something coming from Inuyasha, something powerful. 'It's his youki,' her inner-voice answered. 'His demonic aura.'

"Well, aren't you going to scream and kick me out?" Inuyasha asked, derailing her train of thought.

"What?" she asked, still in a bit of a daze. "Oh, n-no. Why would I do that?"

"Because…I'm a hanyou…" he stared at her incredulously for a second, wondering what her plans were. 'She has to be plotting something out in that head of hers, I know it…'

"Listen, I'm not sure how I know that you're a hanyou, okay?" she spoke up. "Actually, I'm not really sure what a hanyou is…"

'She has to be kidding me,' he thought. 'How does she know what I am, and not at the same time?' "Wait, I'm confused."

"Me, too."

They stood there for a second, just staring at each other. Inuyasha was trying to read her expression, trying to predict her next move. Kagome was trying just to figure out what was going on.

"I can tell you," he said softly, guiding her to her bed. "But you have to promise me that you won't be…upset."

"Why would I be upset?" she asked once she was seated beside him. He stared at her for a moment, trying to string together the proper words. His eyes told her that he was secretly having a battle with himself, and she couldn't help but sympathize. "It's okay, you can tell me."

He let out a quiet sigh before lightly squeezing her hand and looking away. "Kagome, what I'm about to tell you…you really shouldn't know about." He paused, sensing her tense up beside him. "You might not want to believe this, but…"

"Just spit it out," she smiled, getting a bit frustrated with the fact that he was beating around the bush.

"Alright, then I'm going to put this simply." He spoke softly. "Demons exist, Kagome." He stopped, wanting to hear her reaction before continuing.

"Demons…" she whispered, thinking back to what her conscious had told her a minute before.

"I know it's hard for you to believe," he said, finally turning to her. "Youkai walk around this city every day, you just don't notice them."

"But, if youkai are real…" she began, trying to put together the pieces. "Then what are you? What's a hanyou?"

"A hanyou," he began, his voice trembling slightly at the word hanyou. "Is half youkai/half human."

There was a lingering silence, as Kagome seemed to take all the information in. 'Youkai, hanyou, this doesn't make any sense,' she thought. 'This is the stuff of fairytales.'

'Wrong,' her conscious replied. 'There's all the proof you need.'

"I just…I never thought something like this would happen." She said after a second, looking up towards Inuyasha. His gaze didn't wavered as he looked back down at her, a worried smile on his lips.

"That's what most people say when they find out," he answered. "Listen, I know this is a lot to take in, and you don't have to believe me if you don't want to. I'd understand if you thought I was crazy—"

"I could never think that," she smiled, using his words from earlier that night. "How could I, when you've showed me?"

"But aren't you shocked? The last person I showed myself to ran in the opposite direction," he said, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. Kagome's heart sank at his last comment.

"Why would anyone have a problem with that?" she asked.

"Why? I'm half demon, Kagome." He looked away from her again, his eyes drawn to something outside. "I'm a freak."

'He can't possibly think that…' Kagome turned her body to where she was facing his back, and slowly wrapped her arms around his waste. She rests her head against his back, breathing in his scent before responding. "You're not a freak, you're beautiful."

She felt him stiffen at that statement, his body going rigid and his breathing becoming more rapid. She hugged him a bit tighter, burying her face into his shirt. After a second he seemed to melt into her touch, leaning his body against hers.

"Don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise," she smiled.

Her felt a smile spreading across his lips, one of the most genuine smiles he had felt in a long time. There was something deep in his chest that told him that this was exactly where he needed to be—right here with her by his side. He turned to face her, the smile not wavering from his face.

"Kagome, I—" he stopped when he realized that he really didn't know what to say to her. Her searched his mind desperately, trying to think of something smart. But then he realized, that all he had to say was two words. "Thank you."

At that she smiled back, her eyes twinkling with something akin to pure joy. He leaned down and kissed her once more, a soft peck on the lips was all it took to tell her everything that was on his mind.

They sat there in comfortable silence for what felt like an eternity, just staring at each other and communicating using only their eyes. The pale lighting cast a surreal setting to her bedroom, shadows dancing playfully along the walls and the window curtains blowing softly in the breeze.

Kagome opened her mouth, ready to say something important, when she stopped, startled by a noise somewhere down the hall. It sounded like someone walking around. The only room that was in that direction was her mother's and Kagome began to panic at the idea of her stepping in on them.

'Maybe I'm just imagining it,' she thought hopefully. 'I mean, what would she be doing up at this hour?'

"Did you hear that?" Inuyasha asked, confirming her fears. His ears were turned towards her wall, and Kagome couldn't help but smile at how cute they were when they moved on their own.

"I think it was my mom," she said after she managed to tear her eyes away from his ears. "If she catches you in here we'll be in big trouble."

"We?" he asked with a smile. "I think you'd be the only one that'd be in trouble. I mean, you did let a strange boy into your house."

"Shut up," she said teasingly, her eyes trained on the door. "I'm being serious here."

"So am I," he laughed. "If you don't want her to catch you, why don't you just leave? You know, with me…"

She thought about it for a second before answering. "You know I can't do that. I'd be in even more trouble if she found out I took off."

"Not really. She knows you went to that concert earlier, she'd probably just think you were still out."

'He does have a point,' she thought.

'What the hell is wrong with you!' her conscious practically yelled. She was surprised that Inuyasha didn't hear it. 'You can't leave! And look at you; you're not even dressed. And you're not wearing any makeup! What if someone sees you!'

"I can't," she said suddenly, her voice taking him by surprise—it left no room for negotiating.

"Why not?" he asked, half expecting her to answer him. When she didn't he continued. "Is it because you're not wearing makeup?"

"That's not the point…" she turned away from him, biting her bottom lip and keeping one eye trained on the door.

"What did I tell you earlier?" she didn't turn back to him, but he could tell that she was listening. "I wasn't lying. You're beautiful."

"No I'm not." She answered curtly.

"Listen, what if I make you a deal?" he sighed. She turned towards him halfway, glancing over her shoulder. "If you go out without your makeup on…I'll keep my concealment spell off."

"You can't do that!" she nearly shouted, covering her mouth when she realized how much noise she had just made. "What if somebody sees you?"

"Look what time it is," he pointed towards her clock. "No ones going to see either of us. It'll be okay, I promise."

She thought for a moment—she had been thinking a lot lately—and turned to face him completely. They sat that way for a second, not moving, until they both heard another noise from down the hall. They didn't have much time.

"Alright, fine. But let me at least get out of these pajamas." He looked down at her red PJ's and pouted a little bit.

"But I like them, the puppies are cute," he smirked.

"No—I'm changing and that's final." He sighed, giving up. "What are you doing?" she asked when she noticed he was still sitting on her bed.

"Sitting?" he answered with a smile and a question of his own.

"Turn around," she scolded. He sighed once more, throwing up his hands in exasperation, and faced the wall. He heard her moving around behind him and the rustling of clothing. After only two minutes she poked him on the shoulder.

"I'm ready," she smiled.

"Took ya long enough," he mock-scolded.

She playfully punched him in the arm before grabbing a light jacket from the chair at her desk and heading for the window. She climbed out onto the branch and looked back an Inuyasha, who was still standing at the window dumbfounded that she hit him.

"Hurry up, slowpoke." She laughed, climbing down the trunk of the tree. He blinked a few times, cleared his throat, and climbed out the window after her. They sprinted across the darkened lawn and towards his motorcycle.

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**AN: Alright, I want to apologize about the lack in updating. School is back in session, and well, that leaves very little time to write. So it might become limited weekly updates, I hope that's not too much of a problem. Also, I edited the last chapter a bit. Last time, I just posted it right after it was written, because I was too excited to wait. I re-read it last night and noticed some mistakes that were bugging me, so I fixed them up. (Just for the record)**


	11. The Park

**Not That Social**

**Chapter Ten**

**This chapter is dedicated to Laurell-chan. She helped me out a lot, and she's surviving a hurricane right now. So give it up for Laurell! **

**I'm sorry that I haven't updated. I mean I'm REALLY sorry. I've just had a lot going on...sorry. It's a bit short, but the point gets accross. Or at least I think it does...

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Tokyo at night was a lively and festive city, speckled with both party-going locals and traveling tourists alike. Flashing neon lights danced across the city's skyscrapers, casting playful shadows on the streets below as people rushed from one building to another in their attempts to have a good time. Outside the city the suburbs were sleeping, tiny houses nestled all in a row. The houses were darkened and the kids were put to bed—but not for long.

A black 2001 Harley-Davidson Softail Deuce FXSTD raced down the residential streets at 73mph, revving its engine and squealing its tires. Kagome grinned from ear-to-ear as the motorcycle sped up, clutching tighter to Inuyasha's muscular frame. She rested her head on the crook of his shoulder as wind whipped at her hair. She felt like she was flying.

Inuyasha glanced over his shoulder when he felt her lean up against him, smiling as she tightened her grip on his chest. He sped up the bike, turning sharply onto the expressway. The highway gave him the freedom to push the bike even faster, and he felt Kagome once again clutch tightly to his body. She was scared, but he knew that she loved it.

They weaved in and out of traffic, which was light at this hour, and sped off away from the city. The lights died to a dim glow in the distance and Kagome had to squint her eyes just to make out the outline of the great metropolis. They were heading southwest towards no particular destination when a thought popped into Inuyasha's mind.

Mount Fuji rose up in the distance, watching over the area with years of experience. Jerking the bike roughly to the left and racing off the closest exit, Inuyasha began speeding down the side streets towards his target. Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park was just up ahead, it's opening arches rising up to kiss the sky.

Kagome lost her breath when she saw where they were headed. Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park was the most beautiful one in all of Japan. It was just on the outskirts of Tokyo's border, yet she had never been there.

Inuyasha slowed his bike down as he pulled through the entryway, riding up the dirt path to a convenient parking place. The park was virtually deserted except for a few campers who were dotted throughout the land, all fast asleep in their tents and trailers. He pulled his bike into a large gravel parking ground, shutting off the engine and helping Kagome off the bike.

"I've never been here before," she whispered as she took his hand and climbed off the motorcycle. Her eyes were wide as she took in the sight around her.

There were large oak trees as far as the eye could see, stretching towards the heavens and casting eerie shadows across the ground. Above them sat Mount Fuji in all its glory, its snowcapped tip piercing the clouds and seemingly glowing with its own internal light. The mountain appeared to be glowing, lighting up the entire park in a pale light. In the sky hung a full moon, its face smiling down upon them.

"It's so beautiful here," she added after a second, her voice a bit louder this time.

"I know," he smiled. "I love coming here." They stood there for a second, just taking in the beauty of the nature around them, before Inuyasha grabbed her hand. "Come on, there's something I want to show you."

He pulled her away from the bike and she stumbled a few steps before finding her footing and skipping after him. As he walked her along the worn dirt path he couldn't help but think how perfect his hand felt in hers.

They walked for fifteen minutes, going deeper and deeper into the surrounding forest. There were no lights along the path and the trees appeared dark and threatening around them. Kagome let out a slight 'eek' when she heard some animal let out a low howl somewhere in the distance and grabbed onto Inuyasha's arm as if for life itself.

"Scared?" he asked with a smile, looking down to her arm that was securely wrapped around his.

"N-no," she mumbled, looking away to hide the blush that spread across her cheeks. 'Wait, it's dark, he probably couldn't see me blush anyway,' she thought, feeling stupid. She nearly tripped when Inuyasha came to an abrupt halt beside her, his feet planted firmly on the ground.

"Hop on," he said, looking ahead and not directly at her. She stared at him for a second, not really comprehending what he had said. "I said _hop on_," he reiterated, crouching down slightly.

'Does he actually want me to climb on his back?' she thought incredulously. "Are you serious? What if I hurt you?"

"I'm a hanyou, I've lifted _way_ heavier than you," he growled slightly, getting irritated with her lack of movement.

"Uhm, okay," she whispered, placing her hands on his shoulders and pulling herself onto his back. She felt him straighten and she panicked, wrapping her arms around his neck and squeezing…tightly.

"Let go, let go!" he freaked, swinging his arms around madly. Kagome didn't know what was wrong at first, and squeezed tighter in fright. "Can't…breathe…" he managed to get out, trying to gently pry her arms off his neck.

"Oh!" she shouted, realization dawning on her. She quickly loosened her arms and immediately heard Inuyasha sucking in great amounts of air.

"Were you trying to kill me!" he shouted, pointing an accusing finger at her as soon as his lungs were rejuvenated.

"Hey, you were the one who told me to climb on your back!" she retorted, sticking her tongue out at the back of his head.

"Yeah, I said climb on my back, not _strangle_ me!"

"You moved too fast, I got scared!" she expected him to yell back at her, but paused when she heard him let out a quiet laugh. "What's so funny?"

"You thought that was fast? Me getting up?" his smirk grew larger even though he knew that she couldn't see it. He laughed again; "Hold on."

Before Kagome had the chance to say supercalifrajalisticexpealladocious, Inuyasha crouched down and took off through the woods. He was running just as fast as his motorcycle! Her arms reflexively tightened around his neck again, but this time she was mindful of his need for air. She clutched onto the fabric of his shirt, closing her eyes tightly.

"You scared?" he called over his shoulder, not slowing down for a moment. He deftly dodged the trees that jumped in his path as if they were nothing as he glanced over his shoulder to make sure she was okay, a smile playing on the corners of his lips.

Kagome looked up at the sound of his voice, cracking one eye open and then the other. She was startled by what she saw. The trees were zooming past them at enormous speeds, blurring into one massive black wall on either side. The sound of Inuyasha's feet beating against the ground hammered out a small rhythm in her ears as they rushed down the path.

The entire world seemed to fade away until she was left with just him and the wind against her face. There was no noisy motorcycle engine, no birds chirping in the trees—it was just her and Inuyasha, together.

When Kagome didn't answer him Inuyasha turned his head back to the path ahead of him. This was the perfect moment for him. The feeling of her molded against his back, her arms wrapped delicately around his neck, made him feel things he never felt before. He wanted to stop right there and kiss her until the sun rose, but he kept on running. If his calculations were correct, the lake was just up ahead.

After only seconds Inuyasha skidded to a halt on the bank of a very large lake. The waters were calm and stagnant, shining with the light given to it from the moon. In its reflection Mount Fuji stared up at them, a mirror image of the great volcano that overlooked the lake.

"Wow," Kagome whispered, again awestruck, as she climbed off of Inuyasha's back. If she thought the park was beautiful before, then she didn't know what to say now.

"That's Lake Yamanaka," Inuyasha told her, his eyes focused on the water.

"No way," she whispered, almost afraid that someone would hear her if she spoke too loudly. "Lake Yamanaka is like an hour's hike from the park."

And it was true. There were five lakes at the base of Mount Fuji, all of which were infamous for their beauty. Lakes Sai, Shoji, Motsu, Kawaguchi, and Yamanaka surrounded the sleeping volcano almost protectively. Lake Kawaguchi was the most accessible of the five lakes, resting along the large city of Fuji-Yoshida. The other four were deep in the woods, reachable only by trail.

'There's no way this could be Lake Yamanaka,' she thought. 'It would've taken us a lot longer to get here on foot.'

"I'm a hanyou, remember? I can run faster than you humans," he smirked proudly. "I seem to keep reminding you of that."

"I didn't forget, it's just that…" she trailed off when she realized that she really had nothing to say. She knew that he could run fast because she was on his back the entire time, but it was still unconceivable to her to be standing at the bank of Lake Yamanaka.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" he asked, as if reading her thoughts. She looked up at him and smiled at the dreamy expression on his face. He seemed so at home here.

"It really is," she smiled. "Inuyasha, I'm so glad you brought me here. It's…amazing."

He smiled at her then, one of those unpolluted smiles that made her heart sink. She felt herself smiling back at him on instinct alone, her jaw starting to hurt with the amount of smiling she had done that day.

"You know, I have no reason to be overly optimistic…but somehow when you smile like that I feel like I can brave bad weather," he said after a second of staring into her eyes.

She didn't know what to say. That was singularly the kindest thing someone's ever said to her before. She felt a swell of emotion rise up in the center of her heart, and her pulse began to beat faster than usual. She stared back up at him, the broadest smile on her face, and wrapped her arms around his neck. Pulling his face closer to hers, she planted a soft, but incredibly loving, kiss on his lips.

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**I just want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has read this story. The reviewers, too. The idea that people are just READING this is amazing to me. Thanks.**


	12. Stranded Island

**Not That Social**

**Chapter Eleven : Three Things**

**AN: I want to take this opportunity and apologize for my lack of updating. Due to recent events, I have had to move across an ocean to lovely America, Michigan to be exact. It's been really hard on me, and I just haven't had the time to write in my story. I have most of it down in random notebooks scattered throughout my…space. I don't even know the people that I'm living with…they're aunts and uncles that I've never met before. But I don't really want to get into that right now. The point is, I don't have any friends any more and I think it's pointless to try and make some my senior year. No one wants new friends their last year of High School, things don't always work out like they do in the stories, folks. But, as quoted by one of my favorite movies (James and the Giant Peach): "Try looking at it another way." Now I have tons of time to work on my story…**

**Woohoo.**

**Thanks again for the reviews, it kept me going.**

**Listening choice: Download the song "The Spider and the Fly" by London after Midnight.**

**Special Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN THIS SONG! Do not sue, please.

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The world almost seemed to be putting itself together piece by piece that damp gray morning at the base of Lake Yamanaka. First the spruce and white pine trees that cover Mt. Fuji materialized from the heavy fog, then the rocky tip, and finally, the lake itself, as if the mere watching had drawn them all into existence.

Inuyasha sat on the sandy beach, his toes toying playfully with the cold water of the lake and Kagome sitting neatly in his lap, her head resting perfectly on his shoulder. The palms of his hands dug into the sand behind him for support as he sat up gently, giving Kagome the perfect view of the rising sun.

A smile graced her lips briefly as she stared at the orb floating above them, warming her face and giving life to the world. She felt as if she had stepped into a painting—there was no way that beauty like this could exist in the world.

"Inuyasha?" she asked, slightly turning her head from the sun.

"Hmm?" he answered half-heartedly, his gaze still focused on the scenery in front of him.

"If you could…" she began, but stopped with a short giggle. This got his attention and he nudged her slightly to continue. "Nevermind, it's a stupid question."

"There are no stupid questions, only stupid people," he chuckled, quoting his favorite episode of South Park.

"So, does that make me a stupid person?" she teased.

"Of course."

"Whatever," she smiled. There was a comfortable silence for a few seconds, both of them just reveling in the other's presence. "Okay, so I guess I'll ask it anyway…" she stopped and giggled again before continuing. "If you were stranded on a desert island, and you could only have three things, what would you choose?"

He thought for a moment, running through the list of necessities he had categorized in his mind, trying to place them in a short order of importance.

"I guess I would have to take," he said after a moment, "one of those nifty new iPods with an unlimited battery supply, a really good book, and…a lifetime supply of ramen."

"Oh," she replied, expecting him to say something else.

"How about you?"

"I don't know, I never really thought about it before."

"How could you not have an answer to your own question?" he laughed.

"I don't know…" she leaned her head back once more, placing it in the crook of his neck. With a deep breath she inhaled the scent of the shampoo he used and quickly identified it as Garnier Fructis. "I love your hair."

"You can't change the subject…" he teased, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her against him.

"Alright, alright. I guess, if I was stranded on an island, I would take…a really long sketch pad, some pencils, and…pictures of everyone I loved."

"Would you take a picture of me?" he asked with a coy smile, not really expecting her to answer.

"Of course," she smiled.

* * *

"We better get going, your mom might get worried," Inuyasha smiled, pulling Kagome to her feet. She took another glance at the lake before turning to him.

"What about your parents?" she asked.

"Don't worry about that." He looked away from her, his bangs falling over his eyes. For a moment she thought she saw something flicker across his face, but it was gone before she had time to think about it. "Hop on."

Doing as she was told, Kagome climbed onto his back—this time a little less hesitantly. Once she had her arms wrapped around his shoulders, he crouched down and took off at a blinding speed.

The trees zipped past them and Kagome could feel the morning dew splashing upon her face as they rushed toward the front of the park. Within minutes they were standing in front of Inuyasha's motorcycle.

"Listen, I had a really nice time with you," Inuyasha smiled as he pulled out his keys, turning his head away to hide the blush that painted his cheeks.

"Me too, Inuyasha."

"I'm glad," he tossed her the helmet and climbed on, starting the ignition and revving the engine. Looking to his side, he noticed that Kagome still hadn't climbed on. "You coming, or what?"

"Yeah," she put the helmet on slowly, pulling a few stray hairs from her face. Climbing on to the bike, she wrapped her arms around Inuyasha's waist. As they sped off toward the exit, a thought passed through her mind.

"You know," she shouted, "this isn't nearly as fun as riding you." As soon a she said it she realized how dirty it sounded. "I didn't mean it like that!"

"Are you sure about that?" he asked smoothly, knowing that she couldn't see the blush on his cheeks.

"Yes!" she cried, burying her helmet-covered head in his shoulder. "You know damn well what I meant!"

"If you say so…" he smirked.

* * *

They pulled up outside of Kagome's house a little after seven in the morning, Inuyasha cutting his engine a few houses down so not to wake her parents.

"You don't have to worry about them, they've probably left for church already," she said as she climbed off the motorcycle.

"Don't they take you with them?" They began walking to the front door together; Inuyasha grabbing her hand is his.

"Nah, they said I could choose my own religion. So far, I haven't…but they don't make me go to church with them." She pulled out her house key and began to open the front door when she stopped. "Do you want to come in?"

"Nah, that's okay…I should be getting home, anyway," he declined, running a hand through his windblown hair.

"Oh, all right then," she sighed halfheartedly, hoping that he'd come in and stay a while.

There was a moment of silence then, something drawn out between them that had them each standing on their heels, desperate for the other to break the ice. Inuyasha briefly thought about coughing to break the tension, but quickly decided that he wanted Kagome to be the one to end the silence.

As if reading his mind, she pushed forward and placed a soft kiss on his cheek—a simple sign of affection that meant more than anything else in the world to him at that moment.

Before he could even register it he was wrapping his arms around her and allowing a huge smile to spread across his face. Nestling his face in her neck for a short moment, he realized that he was happy just to be holding her.

"I had a great time last night," she whispered into his shoulder, repeating herself from earlier.

Opening his eyes, Inuyasha peered into her face. "You have no idea what that means to me."

"I think I have an idea," she smiled.

He smiled back at her then and she could've sworn she saw him glowing. "I should probably be going…"

"Oh," Kagome seemed to snap out of a trance and looked down at her watch. "It's almost seven thirty. Yeah, you might want to get home."

"Yeah," he said he was going to go; yet he couldn't get his feet to move from her porch. Swallowing the lump that seemed to magically form in his throat, he stole another glance at the girl that changed his life, before sticking his hands in his pockets and walking off.

Kagome watched him turn his back from her, but knew that it wasn't the end. She knew that this was only the beginning.

* * *

Inuyasha strolled up to his house with a bounce in his step and a whistle on his lips. Twirling his keys around his index finger, he opened the back door and headed straight for the refrigerator. He pulled out the milk and sniffed it once to make sure it was fresh before sauntering over to the cupboard and grabbing a box of Count Chocula and a clean bowl.

Twirling around on his heel, Inuyasha planned on climbing the stairs to his bedroom when he dropped his bowl and let the milk splatter to the ground.

"You're in late, eh?" Sesshomaru spoke calmly from his position in the doorframe. He was clothed in a blue and white silk robe and his hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, in his hand was a cup of coffee. If Inuyasha didn't know any better, he'd say that Sesshomaru had just woken up.

"You shouldn't sneak up on me like that," he tried to joke, bending over to pick up his spilt cereal. "Besides, shouldn't you be in at work by now?"

"I figured I could use a day's rest to make sure my _dearest_ brother wasn't in harm's way," he replied coolly, walking over to the kitchen sink and dumping his coffee.

"Feh," Inuyasha scoffed, grabbing some paper towels for the milk. "Since when did you care?"

A mock look of pure alarm crossed Sesshomaru's face, "_Me_ not care? I don't know where you get such ideas."

"Whatever," Inuyasha put the now dirty bowl in the sink and turned to head upstairs.

"No breakfast this fine morning?" Sesshomaru called to Inuyasha's retreating form.

"Fuck you," the sound of a bedroom door slamming closed immediately followed Inuyasha's response.

With a sigh, Sesshomaru decided to do the responsible thing and climbed the stairs after him. Knocking on the door twice, he patiently waited for Inuyasha to answer. What he got, rather, was a fairly angry yell somewhere along the lines of 'go the fuck away.'

"Inuyasha," he called, "open this door right now."

He heard a bit of shuffling and then a grunt, assuming that it was out of exasperation, before the door opened a crack and Inuyasha stuck his heat through.

"What do you want now?" he asked in a bored tone, stifling a yawn.

"Care to tell me where you were last night?" Sesshomaru asked, placing his hand on the doorframe so his younger brother couldn't slam it in his face.

"Care to tell me who your hair stylist is?" Inuyasha mocked.

"Fine," he sighed. "Be that way. I'll be downstairs if you need anything."

Without even a flinch Inuyasha slammed the door, giving it the finger before climbing into his oversized bed. The sheets seemed to swallow him up and provided the comfort that he needed. Burying his head into a pillow, he closed his eyes and let his mind wander.

* * *

Kagome was extremely tired but she couldn't sleep. Every time she closed her eyes she was consumed by a sudden rush of energy—she need to move around, she need to do _something_.

Figuring that she wasn't going to get to sleep any time soon, she walked over to her CD player and picked a CD at random—a habit she had been getting into as of late. Pulling out the fated CD, she popped it in and listened to the beginning chords of "The Spider And The Fly" by London After Midnight. It was a CD that she had burned a few years ago, but it never got old to her.

_Empty hearts I can hear them talking_

_I close my eyes and I keep on stalking_

_My love_

_My love_

The heavy-hitting goth rock under-toned with an eerie romanticism seemed to fit her mood perfectly as she fell back on her bed and allowed her mind to take in the song in it's entirety for the first time in ages. The music drifted to her ears and her mind couldn't help but wander to Inuyasha.

_No one's aware of the hunger I feel_

_It's something you or time cannot heal_

_I need someone to help me rise above_

That's when it hit her—she was feeling so antsy because of _him_. She was craving Inuyasha like a hunger, and it felt as if she needed to see him that very instant. She realized that she had never felt this way about anyone before; he was the first one.

'Is this love?' she asked herself, staring up at the ceiling. 'This wanting? This _need_ for another person? Am I in _love_ with Inuyasha?'

_Eternal bliss is something I can show you_

_Spread your arms and let my wings enfold you_

_My love_

_My love_

Kagome felt happy…she felt more than that, actually. For the first time in a long time, she felt like she was doing something right. She felt loved. Reaching for the remote on her nightstand, she turned the volume up on her CD player.

The volume increased and she could feel the bass reverberating in her chest as the chorus kicked up once more.

_In the darkness shades of crimson rapture_

_The world is ours alone to capture_

_My love_

_My love_

_Come over here and let me tell you something_

_Nothing ever comes of nothing_

_We pay a price for all our choices made_

_Come along now and take my hand_

_I'll lead you to a promised land_

_The morning after may never come again,_

_It may never be the same_

_May never be the same..._

The song ended and Kagome felt a little bit more relaxed. A feeling of understanding washed over her then and she smiled before closing her eyes and rolling over. Just as she was about to drift off to sleep the piercing sound of her phone rang through her head.

With a groan she rolled back over and picked up the dreaded receiver. Not even bothering to ask who was on the other line, she mumbled a quick, "what the hell do you want?"

"Kagome?" a male voice sounding equally as tired called over the line. Immediately her heart began to race as she placed a name to face. It was Inuyasha.

"O-Oh, sorry about that, Inuyasha," she laughed meekly. "What's up?"

"Is this a bad time?" he asked suddenly. "I can call back if you want…"

"No!" she quickly yelled, trying to keep him on the line. "I mean, I was going to go to sleep, but that's okay."

"You sure?" She smiled at his concern and told him to continue. "Well, I just wanted to call and tell you that I changed my mind."

His voice sounded serious and Kagome instantly felt a surge of dread rise up in her soul. 'Is he trying to tell me something?' she thought, nervously biting her nails.

"About what?"

"About…the island thing," there was a moment of silence on the other line. She could hear him breathing and practically see the blush on his face. "Well, if I really was stranded on an island, the only thing I would want with me would be you."

Her heart skipped a beat just then. With her mouth hanging open and a stupefied look in her eyes, all she could manage was a quiet 'uh-huh' as she practically drooled over the phone.

"Kagome?" she heard him ask. "Kagome, you there? It's okay, I get it…"

"Inuyasha! Wait!" she could tell he was about to hang up and crossed her fingers when she didn't hear the click. "I just…I don't know what to say…"

"Just tell me that you're happy."

"Of course I'm happy, Inuyasha. I'm happy because of you."

* * *

**Well there you have it! I hope it wasn't too short…nor too mushy…nor too crappy. Oh boy, I hope it was all right! I've just been so stressed. Please review, I hope I did okay! **

**It may be short, but I think it's pretty cute…**

**Tell me what you think!**


	13. Positive Tension

**Not That Social**

**Chapter Twelve: Positive Tension **

**A/N: I figured that Miroku and Sango weren't getting enough air-time so there will be a little bit of action in this one. Well, not so much action as much as flirting—just because I love to see them bicker like an old married couple.**

**I was listening to Bloc Party when I wrote this.**

**Thanks again to everyone who reviewed. Look how many there are! I can't believe this…

* * *

**

She wanted to pull the blankets over hear head and hide from the world, wrapped in the comfort provided by her bed. The world was moving too fast outside her window, and she just wanted it all to slow down.

Rolling over and crushing her face against her pillow, Kagome let out a sigh and tried to forget about the homework that she didn't finish the night before. Every two minutes her alarm clock would buzz, alerting her to the fact that she needed to get up.

'But I'm so comfortable,' she thought dreamily, swatting at the wretched machine with a blind hand. After knocking over a lamp and stabbing herself with an ink pen, she rolled over and managed to unplug the sleep tormentor.

"Much better," she sighed and rolled back over, the pillow placed securely over her ears. Just as she was about to dose off again, she heard a faint tapping on her bedroom door. With a groan of annoyance she threw her pillow at the door before calling out a "who's there?"

"Are you getting up, dear?" Her mother poked her head through the door, giving her daughter a warm smile.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Kagome replied around a yawn, gently pulling back the blankets and climbing out of bed.

She stumbled twice, once around a pile of dirty clothes, and again over her tipped-over desk chair, before finally making it to her door. Stifling a yawn, she set to work on her usual morning ritual, all the while trying to block out thoughts of a certain inu hanyou from her math class.

* * *

The school bell rang with frightening clarity as students piled into the concrete building, half awake and looking forward to the end of the day. Inuyasha wasn't one of these students. 

Standing outside in the parking lot, a spent cigarette dancing carelessly on the edge of his lips, he surveyed the sea of adolescents rushing to their immediate fate.

"Cattle," he chuckled under his breath, exhaling a puff of smoke through his nose. He was about to stub the cigarette out on the pavement when a red Chevy pushed past him and slammed on its breaks, conveniently placed between the two yellow lines indicating a parking spot. The driver's window was down, and Inuyasha picked up on the deep bass of a metal song blasting from within.

"Shouldn't you be in class?" Miroku asked with a cocky grin, climbing out of his car and smoothing out the wrinkles in his jacket.

"I'm not in the mood, asshole," Inuyasha stubbed out his cigarette, shoving past Miroku and roughly nudging his shoulder, causing the other man to stumble backwards slightly.

"That's not what you're mom said last night!" Miroku called after Inuyasha's retreating form.

The hanyou let out a slight chuckle at the pervert's pathetic attempt at a comeback, before wrenching open the front doors to the school and heading to his locker.

The halls were already empty before Inuyasha made it to locker #362, all of the students sitting patiently behind wooden desks, eager for their lessons. It made him want to gag.

"Mr. Taisho, I see that you're late again," he heard someone say behind him. Spinning around on his heels, Inuyasha came nose-to-nose with Mr. Ichiro, the vice principle and hard-ass of the school.

"Ichiro-san," Inuyasha bowed slightly, showing as little respect as possible. "To what do I owe this extreme pleasure?"

"I think you have an idea, Mr. Taisho," Mr. Ichiro smirked bitterly. He was a short, fat man with a thick black mustache that earned him the nickname Mario. Inuyasha was waiting for the day that Mr. Ichiro made the mistake and wore suspenders to school. "I'd like to see you in my office."

"But Ichiro-san, I'm already late for class as it is," Inuyasha hid a smile. "You wouldn't want me to be any later than I already am, now, would you?"

"I'm sure it wouldn't hurt your record," Mr. Ichiro snarled, clicking his heels to the tiled floor and walking off in long, determined strides. He was expecting Inuyasha to follow him but once he realized that his footsteps were the only ones echoing down the hallway, he turned around to see Inuyasha fiddling through his locker. "Mr. Taisho," he coughed.

Inuyasha's head shot out of the locker with a look of surprise plastered on his face.

"Me, sir?" he asked innocently, his index finger pointed at his heart.

"Yes you," Mr. Ichiro growled out between clenched teeth. "Follow me, _please._"

Inuyasha could tell that the man was trying to keep his composure, but he was failing miserably. A large, beet-red vein was throbbing right in the middle of his forehead, racing faster as he turned to walk down the hallway.

"If you insist, sir," Inuyasha called after him, falling in step behind the vice principle.

"Have a seat," Mr. Ichiro gestured once they were in his office and the door was closed. Inuyasha obeyed, lifting his feet up and planting them firmly on the oak desk before him.

"You have a very lovely office," he commented, looking around harmlessly.

"Enough of this nonsense," Mr. Ichiro growled, shoving Inuyasha's feet off his desk and sitting down. "This is a serious matter. One of my sources informed me that you've been causing trouble on campus."

"What kind of trouble, sir?"

"Don't act all innocent, you know exactly what I mean!" He yelled. Catching himself, Mr. Ichiro coughed lightly and calmed his voice. "From what I hear, you've been starting fights."

"Me, sir?"

"YES YOU!"

"Sir, if I admitted to what you are insisting I have done, may I leave?" Inuyasha asked with a bored tone.

"Mr. Taisho, I am a firm believer in the penalty of delinquents such as you. In order to right the wrongs that I know you have committed, I am sentencing you to three weeks detention."

"Sentencing me? So you're a fucking _judge_ now?" Inuyasha caught himself after he said it, but it was too late.

"If you have a problem with that, Mr. Taisho, we can raise it to four weeks." Mr. Ichiro began to scribble out a hall pass before looking up again. "You are dismissed, Mr. Taisho."

Inuyasha stood there for a moment, distressed that he didn't get the last word, before taking the hall pass and heading to the door. Just as he was about to turn the knob, he turned back to the vice principle.

"You know, Ichiro-_san_, I find it funny how a guy as anal retentive as you has the balls to boss around someone like me."

Mr. Ichiro just sat there, mouth agape, shocked by what Inuyasha had just said. Before he could comment, the hanyou was gone.

* * *

Kagome searched the courtyard for Inuyasha that day at lunch, but when she couldn't find him she headed towards Sango and Miroku. Just as she walked up to them she heard the telltale sign that they were doing just fine. 

"Pervert!" Sango yelled, followed by a resounding slap to one pervert's left cheek.

"Sango, dear, I slipped—honest," Miroku pleaded, holding a hand to his reddened cheek.

"I see you guys are getting along great," Kagome laughed as she sat down on the grass. "Have you seen Inuyasha today?"

"I thought I saw him in the hallway earlier…" Miroku answered, searching his memory bank.

"Oh well, I'm sure he'll turn up eventually." She went to open her lunch pale when she heard yet another slap from Sango.

"I swear, letch, this is the last time!"

"But Sango, I can not help it if you're beauty entices me. You even put the lights of Tokyo to shame with your beauty!"

Sango couldn't help but blush at that last statement, but she hid it quickly and stood up. "I need to use the rest room."

"Oh, I'll come with you!" Kagome cheered, noticing her friend's distress. Sango shot Kagome a smile before walking towards the building.

"So much for that one," Miroku mumbled into his peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

The bathroom was packed with at least half a dozen teenage girls fixing their makeup and fiddling with their hair. There wasn't a single spot available by the mirror. Fed up with this display of teenaged obsession, Kagome decided to do something about it.

"Out, out, out!" Kagome yelled at the top of her lungs, waving her arms around frantically. "Orlando Bloom is in the hallway!"

All of the girls squealed in excitement and rushed out of the small bathroom. Once she was sure that it was just her and Sango, Kagome went over and locked the door.

"That's better," Kagome smiled. "Now spill."

"Spill? What is there to spill?" Sango asked nervously as she headed towards the sink and splashed her face with cold water. "Everything is just peachy."

"Peachy? I think I know when things are 'peachy,' and this definitely isn't the time." Kagome smiled, placing a reassuring hand on her friend's back.

"It's just…he's so annoying, and boastful, and flirtatious…and-and I hate him!" Sango exploded, hiding her face in her hands.

"I take it you're talking about Miroku?" Kagome asked with a smile. Sango just nodded, still hiding her face in embarrassment. "You have nothing to worry about with him. If you've noticed, I haven't seen him hit on any other girls in quite some time…"

"Really?" Sango asked hopefully, looking up. "What do you think that means?"

"Maybe…maybe that he likes you? I mean, likes you more than he does the other girls." Kagome giggled, she loved hooking friends up.

"He would never like me. Not that I like him, or anything—mind you." She added quickly. "He's perverted, and gross, and…and…maybe I do like him."

"I knew it!" Kagome clasped her hands together and bounced on the balls of her feet. "You guys have chemistry, I'm telling you. I think you would make a great couple!"

"But…we're friends—nothing more. I'm sure he's just hitting on me to get laid."

"Right, and I'm just hitting on Inuyasha because I like his ears."

"What?" Sango looked up. It was then that Kagome realized that Sango didn't know about her and the hanyou.

"Oh nothing, I was just being silly," Kagome laughed nervously. "So I think that you and Miroku—"

"Oh, no, missy," Sango shook her finger. "You aren't getting off that easy. I know you guys were talking that night at the concert, but…"

"Seriously, Sango, it's nothing," Kagome replied sheepishly, her hand inching up to play with her hair. "Honest."

"Hey, if I have to tell you about Miroku, then you have to tell me about Inuyasha."

"Fine," Kagome sighed. "But you have to tell me, _honestly_, how you feel about Miroku before I tell you anything about Inuyasha."

"Deal," the two friends shook on it. "Well…I don't really know where to start, actually."

"Just…be blunt. Tell me how you feel about him."

"Oh, Kagome," Sango sighed with stars in her eyes. "Sometimes he can be a real letch, but when we're alone he's a real sweetheart. I think he puts the pervert thing up as a mask to the rest of the world. There are times when I can't see myself with anyone else, but other cases where I want to be a million miles away from him. It's confusing…"

"No it's not," Kagome smiled. "I understand exactly what you mean."

"But what should I do?"

"I think you need to talk to him—tell him how you feel."

"I can't do that! What if he mocks me? What if—what if he breaks my heart?" Sango asked, choking back a sob.

"You won't know if you don't tell him."

"I guess so…"

"Well, since that's out of the way," Kagome stretched her arms above her head playfully, "we should head back outside!"

Kagome twirled around quickly, heading toward the bathroom door. She stopped when she felt a hand clasp around her arm.

"Not so fast, we had a deal," Sango smirked.

"A deal? What deal? I don't recall a deal…" Kagome tried to play dumb, looking around the bathroom.

"Shut up, you," Sango laughed. "Now tell me."

"Well, what do you want to know?"

"Are you guys…an item?" Sango asked, a blush gracing her cheeks.

"I guess," Kagome sighed dreamily, thinking back to the night before. "I mean, we have spent a lot of time together, and he's awfully romantic—"

"Inuyasha? Romantic!" Sango scoffed, "You're joking, right?"

"No! You don't know him like I do! Last night was…" Kagome trailed off, not knowing if she should disclose that information to her friend.

"Kagome, I think this goes beyond liking him," Sango gasped.

"What do you mean?"

"I think you love him, Kagome."

"That's crazy," Kagome laughed. "I don't love Inuyasha…I just like him…a lot."

"Right," Sango smiled.

Just as Kagome was about to comment further, a loud banging was heard on the other side of the door.

"Hey, Orlando Bloom isn't out here!" A high pitched voice called. "Let us in!"

"I think we should let the preps back in," Sango laughed.

"I think you're right," Kagome headed back towards the door. "Thanks, Sango."

"No, thank you." They shared a brief smile before unlocking the door. "Alright, don't get your pigtails in a twist!"

* * *

"Students, take your seats!" Kaede called over the talking students. "Today we will be watching a movie, so I expect you to be on your best behavior." 

Many of the student hollered and cheered, excited that it would be an easy day. Kaede walked over to the old TV and plopped a VHS Tape in before taking a seat behind her desk and working on the previous days tests.

As soon as the movie began to play, students began to talk. The room was filled with whispering, but Kaede allowed it because it was kept at a decent volume.

"Miroku," Sango whispered, poking the boy next to her in the shoulder. "We need to talk."

"What about, my lovely?" Sango rolled her eyes at him, even though she knew he couldn't see it in the dark, before continuing.

"I was just thinking…" She paused, trying to think of the right words. 'Why does this have to be so difficult?"

"What were you thinking?" Miroku tried to encourage her to continue, but the goofy look on his face only made her laugh. She looked over to Kagome, who gave her a warm smile before turning back to the movie.

"What are you doing this weekend?" she blurted out.

"Well…I'm not really sure yet." He thought about it, his finger tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Why?"

"I was thinking…that maybe we could…I don't know, do something?" She blushed and turned away.

"Sango, we probably would've done something regardless," he smiled, not understanding her question.

"I mean, just you and me."

"Really?" He asked in disbelief. "This isn't some sick joke, is it?"

"No!" Sango shouted, causing the entire class to look at her. With a blush, she quickly apologized and hid her face in her hands.

"Sango, I would be honored to be by your side this weekend." Miroku smiled once the class' attention was back to the movie.

* * *

Inuyasha paced angrily in the school's courtyard. Last hour would end in a matter of minutes, and he was expected in the library to serve detention. Joy. 

Stubbing out his third cigarette, Inuyasha kicked a nearby trashcan and laughed when it spilled garbage all over the freshly cut grass. The sun was high, but he could sense rain in the distance.

"This is fucking bullshit," he cursed, pulling out another cigarette and running a hand through his hair. "Who does he think he is? I'm not serving that fucking detention."

He was about to head back to the parking lot when the school bell sounded and students began leaving the building in large groups. Among those groups he spotted Miroku and Sango, smiling at each other despite the large handprint on Miroku's cheek. Figuring that Kagome would be out sometime shortly, Inuyasha plopped down on the steps and waited.

Unfortunately, it wasn't Kagome who came up to him. Inuyasha growled when he felt someone jab their foot into his shin.

"How's our favorite _half-breed_ doing this fine afternoon?" Kouga asked with a smirk, his two thugs laughing behind him.

"Not today, Kouga," Inuyasha growled before standing up. "I don't have time for scumbags like you."

"Is that so?" Kouga laughed, stepping in front of Inuyasha before he could retreat. "I've heard you've been hanging around my woman."

"_Your woman_?" Inuyasha laughed. "And just who would that be?"

"You've been getting close to Kagome, and I don't like it one bit!" Kouga shouted, taking a fighting stance.

"You want to fight me? I'm right here," Inuyasha laughed again.

'_I didn't want to see anybody get hurt,'_ Kagome's voice suddenly echoed through his mind.

"You know what?" Inuyasha paused. "I don't have time to mess with losers like you."

"What's the matter, hanyou, scared?" Kouga taunted, roughly shoving Inuyasha backwards.

"Far from it," he growled. "You're not worth my fucking time."

Before Kouga could say anything else, Inuyasha turned his back to him and walked into the building, deciding that he would fetch Kagome himself.

"That bastard, I'll make him pay for disrespecting me," Kouga growled, clenching his fists tight.

"Don't worry about it, Kouga," Ginta said.

"Don't worry about it! Fuck, let's just go."

* * *

Kagome closed her locker with a happy sigh and a smile on her lips. She was so happy for Sango and Miroku. Closing her eyes and letting the events of the day sink in, she didn't notice Inuyasha walk up and stand beside her. 

"What are you thinking about?" he whispered in her ear.

"Not you," she teased. "But I could be if you wanted me to."

"I like that." He gave her a quick kiss before grabbing her backpack. "I'll take that for you."

"No, it's okay, it's not heavy," she smiled shyly. He simply shrugged and began walking down the hallway. They walked in silence until they reached the door, neither of them making eye contact except for the occasional glance.

"Inuyasha!" Mr. Ichiro called the second they reached the door. "Where do you think you're going? You have detention!"

Inuyasha gave the vice principle the finger before opening the door for Kagome and heading outside.

"What was that all about?" she asked once they reached his bike. He didn't answer her, just climbed on his bike and expected her to follow. "Whatever."

A smirk painted itself on Inuyasha's lips as she hugged her body to his. With a chuckle in his chest, he started up his bike and sped out of the student parking lot.

* * *

**Uhm...it was a bit short. Gah, I hate it. I feel like I got nothing accomplished in this chapter.**


	14. I can't be alone

**Not that Social**

**Chapter 13**

**Chapter Warning: There's a flashback in the chapter, I'm warning you ahead of time because it switches to a first person POV. I just thought I'd let you know now, so it doesn't get too confusing when you get there. Thank you for yout time.

* * *

**

"What the hell were you thinking!" Kagome screamed once they sped out of the parking lot, punching Inuyasha lightly on the shoulder.

"What?" he asked innocently as he glanced over his shoulder for a moment before returning his eyes to the road.

"You know exactly what I mean," she mumbled, getting tired of the petty arguing.

"Sorry, I can't hear you over the engine!" he laughed, earning a sigh from Kagome. With his eyes trained on the pavement rushing beneath the tires he zoomed down the motorway, snaking between the other cars.

It took only minutes to arrive outside of the small shrine that Kagome called home. Judging by the lack of cars, she figured that her mother was still at work—leaving the shrine to be guarded by her grandfather. But knowing him, he was probably asleep in his room.

As the engine slowed to a stop, Inuyasha pulled the bike up to the curb right in front of the 82 steps that led to Kagome's shrine.

"Do you want to come in?" she asked as she lifted one leg and climbed off the bike.

"I'm not sure," he said, bringing his wrist up to look at the time. When he realized that he wasn't wearing a watch he shrugged. "I guess."

With a squeal of delight, she grabbed his hand and practically dragged him up the concrete steps. Both of them were panting by the time they reached the top, but Kagome refused to let go of his hand.

As soon as they reached the top, Inuyasha had to stop to take in the site around him. He was amazed by how different the shrine looked when the sun was up and took a moment to look around the grounds.

The large tree that he had used to climb up to her window was bathed in as seemingly ethereal light, making it look almost holy. Before he knew what he was doing, Inuyasha was walking towards the great tree. It almost seemed to be calling him.

"That's the Goshinboku tree," Kagome whispered behind him, almost afraid to break the peace that had fallen over them. "Grandpa says that it's watched over our family for centuries."

"Feh," he scoffed before turning away. "It's just a stupid tree."

"Right," she nodded. "Well, do you want me to make you some tea or something? Momma just went shopping and I'm sure we have some around here…"

They headed off towards the door, Inuyasha sparing a backwards glance at the Goshinboku before stepping inside. There was something about that tree that he couldn't place his finger on.

"You know," Kagome blushed as they sat down on the couch. "I just realized that this is the first time you've seen my house. Other than my bedroom, that is."

"It's very…clean." He smiled as he sat down next to her. "Do you do all this work?"

"Right, Ms. Organization here loves to pick up after the family." She stated sarcastically. "Mostly my mom does all the work, but I help out."

"Oh." The next few minutes went by in silence as they both tried to think of something to say. At one point Inuyasha opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again when he realized that it really wasn't that interesting.

"I can't take it anymore!" Kagome nearly shouted before jumping on Inuyasha and planting her lips firmly over his.

For a second, Inuyasha didn't know what to do. He had no idea that Kagome could be that spontaneous. He quickly got used to the feeling of her on top of him, though, and deeply kissed her back. Their tongues were trapped in a battle for dominance, and they only pulled away for gasps of air.

The moment seemed to be too short and yet last forever all at the same time, as Inuyasha flipper her over on her back. He couldn't help but stare at her for a second before lowering his head and kissing her again. With little effort, he shut down the spell that kept his youkai features hidden, smiling as her hands reached up to rub his ears.

And that's exactly how her grandfather found them.

"Demon!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, brandishing a broom that he seemed to pull out of nowhere. Rushing from his spot in the doorway, he began frantically smacking the broom over Inuyasha's back while shouting old prayers.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, old man!" Inuyasha shouted as he stood up, catching the broom by the handle before it had the chance to come down on his head.

"Y-You're a demon!" the old man shouted, pointing an accusing finger at the hanyou.

"Yeah, so?" Inuyasha mocked, pulling the broom away from the old man and tossing it across the room. "Are you gonna' do something about it?"

"Grandpa," Kagome chose that time to speak up. "You have nothing to worry about. This is Inuyasha."

"I have _nothing_ to worry about! You brought a demon into our house!" Kagome knew that her grandfather could be a little old school, but this was getting out of hand.

"No, he's a hanyou." Kagome said smugly. "And you really do have nothing to worry about. He wouldn't hurt a fly."

"You don't know about that," Inuyasha mumbled hotly. At Kagome's questioning glance, he decided he should exaggerate. "You could have let him go on believing I was a full demon, you know."

"What difference does it make?" She fought back. Her grandfather could do nothing more than sit back and watch as his teenaged granddaughter argued with a hanyou in their living room.

"You're belittling me in front of your grandfather, that's what difference it makes!" Inuyasha shouted back, completely forgetting that the old man was standing there.

"Belittling? Such a big word from someone as arrogant as you!" Crossing her arms and turning away from him, Kagome made it very clear that the conversation was over.

"Whatever, wench." Inuyasha growled, also crossing his arms and facing in the opposite direction. They looked more like arguing children than dating teenagers.

"Uhm…Kagome?" Her grandfather ventured, trying his hardest not to piss his granddaughter off further.

"What!" she snapped, turning around and staring pointedly at the old man. He looked at Inuyasha for a second before mumbling "nothing" and scurrying off.

"So are you going to apologize to me or not?" she turned to Inuyasha, an angry look burning in her eyes.

"Why would I apologize?" he scoffed, refusing to turn around. "You're the one who started it."

"You're such a child sometimes…" she sighed.

"I'm the child!" He laughed bitterly. "Right, and you're the President of Siberia."

"Siberia, where did that come from?" she asked with a confused look on her face.

"Actually…I have no idea." They both laughed quickly, momentarily forgetting that they were in an argument. It quickly came rushing back to him though, and he set a scowl on his face. "I'm still pissed at you, though."

"Fine, whatever." She threw her hands in the air and collapsed on the couch. "You have to admit, though, that was pretty funny when my grandpa walked in."

"Yeah, I still have no idea where he got that broom from," he chuckled lightly and returned to his spot beside her. They sat there, once more reverting to silence, and just took comfort in each other's company. "Should we pick back up where we left off?"

She looked at him for a moment, as if trying to decide for herself, before answering. "I think the mood's gone…"

"Oh, yeah," he answered briefly, hiding the fact that he disagreed. The tension was building between them and the silence was killing him, he didn't know if he could take it much longer. "Listen, I should probably get out of here. There's some shit that I need to take care of, anyway."

"Don't let my grandpa get to you too much," she said as he stood up. "He can be very…traditional."

"Don't worry about it, I'm used to it."

Giving him a disappointed smile, she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, taking the opportunity to rub his ears between her thumb and index finger. Within seconds she could hear the soft rumbling in his chest.

"You don't have to worry about that around me," she whispered gently before pulling away.

"Thanks," he smiled before turning and heading towards the door. As he reached out for the handle he turned around, "I'll see you tomorrow."

And just like that he was gone.

* * *

On his ride home that day, Inuyasha took special notice of how lonely his motorcycle felt without Kagome attached to his back. Clutching the handlebars tighter, he made a sharp turn off the highway and headed towards the mansion he called home.

It doesn't take long to get home when you drive thirty miles over the speed limit, and nobody knows that better than Inuyasha. Turning into the parking garage, and not bothering to break until he was inches from the wall, he let out an aggravated growl and climbed off his bike.

Not bothering to take off his boots as he stepped into the house, allowing the mud caking them to spill onto the white carpet, Inuyasha headed straight for the stairs. He slammed his bedroom door and plopped down on the bed, causing Sesshoumaru to peek his head out of his home office for a second before going back to work with a shrug. He was used to his little brother's actions by now.

"Fuck, that girl drives me crazy!" Inuyasha shouted to his ceiling. "What is it about her that has me going wild?"

With a frustrated growl, he pulled himself from the bed and walked over to his dresser. There was nothing in his room that could be described as organized, and his dresser was living proof of that. Scattered remains of dirty clothes, crumpled papers, and old food littered the wooden top. Above it hung a steel-framed mirror, one corner cracked from a long night of partying.

Inuyasha remembered that night and couldn't hold back the laugh that poured from his chest. There was nothing like a spot of destruction to get the blood pumping.

The top drawer of the dresser was filled mainly with boxers that he never wore, but there was something hidden beneath the piles of fabric that he needed to find. Pushing aside the drawer's contents, his hand grazed the edges of a metal box. The corners chilled his fingers and he wasn't sure if it was because of the temperature or the memories that the small box held.

With a sigh he lifted the box out of the drawer and sat back down on his bed. For a moment he just stared at the small package, not sure if he should open it or not. He knew that once the lid was removed, the flood of emotions wouldn't end. After a moment's hesitation, he grabbed a hold of the tiny combination lock and began to twirl the numbers around.

The first thing his eyes caught was an old picture of his mother. The edges were faded and one of the corners was missing, but the picture still remained as beautiful as when it was first taken. But it wasn't what he was looking for.

Moving the picture aside, along with a few legal documents and more photos, a grim smile spread across his lips as he picked up a pale envelope. The seal was already torn and the stamp in the corner was beginning to peel, but he paid that no mind as he quickly emptied the envelope's contents.

Out tumbled a worn hand-written letter and a wallet sized photograph. Immediately he felt the familiar clenching in his chest as he reached for the picture.

Inuyasha mentally slapped himself for not being able to control his emotions. His hands were trembling as he held the picture between his thumb and his index finger, his eyes locked on the pale face that seemed to gaze right back at him.

"Kikyou," he whispered, the name being carried on the air currents. The feeling of betrayal washed over him quickly and he could do nothing more than ride out the nauseating sensation.

It was at that moment that he came to a startling conclusion. It wasn't Kikyou's image he saw in the photograph—but rather he saw Kagome. Their faces were so alike that he could have sworn that they were sisters.

"Is this why I like her?" he asked himself, a slight feeling of guilt wrapping around him. "Do I only like her because she reminds me of Kikyou?"

He tried to chase away the negative thoughts by shoving the picture back into the envelope and sealing it shut. He couldn't deal with this now.

Carefully putting the contents back in the box, he was cautious to cover up the small hand gun that lay at the bottom before placing the box at the bottom of the drawer and climbing into bed.

* * *

_It wasn't cold outside, but the slight breeze helped to calm my frazzled nerves. As I reached into my pocket to pull out a crumpled cigarette I noticed for the first time that there was blood on my knuckles._

_With an agitated groan, I wiped the blood off on my coat and reached for my lighter. Within seconds I felt the nicotine fill my lungs, only serving to calm me down even more as my mind began to race. _

"_What the fuck was she thinking?" I mumbled around the cigarette between my lips, shoving my hands deep inside my pockets. "That fucking bitch."_

_As I said it I realized how malicious it sounded. Twenty minutes ago I couldn't imagine taking her name in vain, and yet here I was—calling her the worst name in the book._

"_Feh, she deserves it," a puff of smoke rose up and blew directly in my eyes, causing them to water uncontrollably. I hated it when that happened. With an angry growl I stubbed the cigarette out and turned to leave._

_Just as I reached the sidewalk I heard the door open behind me. I didn't have to turn around to know who was standing there._

"_Please, don't go," I heard her call. I could smell the salt in the air and I knew that she was crying. A small part of me still wanted to embrace her and take all of her problems away, but I knew that those days were over. _

"_Why would I stay, wench?" I called over my shoulder angrily, not bothering to turn around. "There's nothing for me here."_

_I heard her step off the porch, ready to chase after me, when all of a sudden her footsteps stopped. I heard her whisper something and a gruff voice respond soothingly. So the bastard had woken up?_

"_Oi! Wait right there," he shouted and I could hear his boots thumping towards me. He wasn't worth my time. _

_I turned around to shoot him a dirty look, but I hadn't realized quite how close he was to me. As I twisted on the balls of my feet a hard fist connected with my jaw, taking me by surprise and knocking me to the ground. _

"_Motherfucker," I whispered absently as I pulled myself up and spat out a small amount off blood. My lip was split and every few seconds my tongue would subconsciously dash out and run over it. Bringing my gaze to meet his, I found that he was still standing there—finally giving me a good look at the man who would ruin my life._

_He had waste-length black hair that tumbled down his back in soft waves and was wearing a purple button-down shirt. Something in his eyes told me that I had seen him before, but I couldn't place my finger on it._

"_You cheated on me with this pouf?" I laughed and pointed at the man. "Wow, I have to be honest, that's a blow to my ego right there."_

_I heard Kikyou sob from her spot on the porch before the man lunged at me again. This time I was ready for him._

_Deftly dodging out of the way, I crouched to the ground and swiped the feet from under him. He landed hard on the ground and shot me the dirtiest look I've ever seen. If looks could kill…_

_I didn't have time to finish that sentence as he jumped to his feet again. This guy just wasn't going to give up. With his fist raised he ran towards me, ready to knock me out. But he should have known better than to leave himself so open to attack. In one swift movement, I brought my fist back and rammed it into his nose, satisfied when I heard a loud crunch._

"_Wow, I guess those self-defense classes Sesshomaru made me take really paid off," I mumbled with a chuckle. The guy was on his ass again, clasping his hands around his now bleeding nose. _

"_Naraku!" Kikyou shouted with tears in her eyes. She ran from the doorway and knelt down beside the man._

"_So that's your name, huh?" I asked with a smile. It sounded familiar, but I wasn't going to let that out. "You better not fuck with me again, I'll take you out. And as for you, Kikyou, I don't ever want to see your lying face ever again."_

_With that I turned and strolled back towards my motorcycle. I could still hear her crying behind me, but this time I could care less.

* * *

_

Inuyasha couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching him when he woke up that evening. His little nap had lasted longer than he had intended, and when he roused from his sleep he was surprised to see that sun was setting. With a groan, he pulled the covers back and climbed out of bed.

"Why do I keep having that damn dream?" he growled in annoyance as he made his way to the bathroom. The carpet felt soft beneath his feet and he absentmindedly tried to remember when he took his boots off.

He realized that he needed to clean his bathroom the moment he opened the door. There were piles of dirty laundry littered across the floor and every cleaning product was out of place, a stray hair brush teetering on the edge of the toilet bowl.

"It can wait for later," he sighed.

Inuyasha made his way over to the sink and turned the cold tap on with a flick of his wrist. The water splashed forward and began to fill the small porcelain bowl at a steady pace as he ran his hand under the cold faucet.

He found himself staring at the mirror. Or rather, he was staring at his reflection. The man that gazed back at him wasn't the Inuyasha he has known throughout the years. He was paler than usual and his face seemed sunken in. He took notice of the light purple lines that formed a half-moon under his drooping eyelids.

"You need to get more sleep, man," he scolded his reflection before splashing his face with icy water. A few rogue droplets landed on the hem of his shirt but he didn't bother to wipe them off.

As he turned to exit the bathroom his nose picked up the wonderful smell of roasted turkey coming from somewhere downstairs. Inuyasha smiled, knowing that Sesshoumaru was usually in a good mood when he cooked, and headed towards the kitchen.

"What the hell happened to you?" Sesshoumaru asked as his brother sat down at the table. "You look like you haven't slept in a month."

"Yeah, well I feel like it, too," he responded before reaching across the table and grabbing some mashed potatoes.

"I've been worried about you lately, Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru made a mental note on how his brother refused to look him in the eye before he continued. "You've been coming home really late and your grades have been slipping. The principle called me today. Something about you giving him the finger…is there something you want to tell me?"

"Bite me," Inuyasha growled, digging into his food and pointedly ignoring his older brother's question.

"You know I don't accept that kind of behavior at this table," he groaned before picking up his own fork.

"I'm sick you acting like the father figure in this family," Inuyasha stood up. "He's gone, Sesshoumaru. So stop trying to replace him."

Before Sesshomaru could argue he heard the front door slam shut. He knew that there was nothing more he could do. With an exaggerated sigh, he rested his hand on his balled fist and continued eating alone.

* * *

Inuyasha had no idea what he was doing. He wasn't usually one to act impulsively, yet here he was rushing down the highway at ninety miles per hour. Okay, so maybe that was a lie—he acted impulsively all the time. But this time felt different.

The feeling of the wind wiping at his hair soothed his nerves slightly as he headed south, not even glancing at the cars that he raced past. Within in minutes he was pulling his bike up along the curb. Houses stretched down the block on either side of him, and he couldn't help but follow the tug at his heart the directed him up the shrine steps.

It wasn't until he was standing before the Goshinboku that he realized exactly where he was. Looking to his right, he could see a small light coming from Kagome's bedroom.

"How did I end up here?" he asked to no one in particular. "I wasn't planning on coming to Kagome's house…"

A slight breeze brushed past him and threw his hair around him in a brilliant display of flashing silver. Behind him the last remnants of the sun were sinking below the horizon, blanketing the courtyard in darkness.

"I shouldn't be here," he whispered, but he couldn't get his legs to turn around and guide him back down the steps. Instead, he found himself walking closer the tree. With one hand resting on its rough bark, he slid to the ground and leaned against the tree for support.

A part of him was content with just sitting there, knowing that Kagome was safe in her room and that he was allowed to be this close to her. If he concentrated hard enough, he could faintly pick up her scent wafting down from her half-open window. That was all he needed for his eyes to droop and his head to fall back.

* * *

Kagome tried to do her homework. Really—she needed to get it done. But every time she would stare down at the massive amounts of geometry problems her mind would wander to thoughts of a certain silver haired hanyou.

With an irritated groan she threw her pencil across the room and grinned as it landed in her trash bin. Linking her hands behind her head, she leaned back where he chair was slanted on two legs. Sighing happily, she glanced out her window briefly, expecting to see nothing more than the Goshinboku watching over her. Instead, she saw something that caused her to fall to the ground with a thud.

"Ow," rubbing her head, Kagome slowly climbed to her feet and headed towards her window. Sure enough she could make out the faintest shimmer of silver at the base of the Goshinboku. "Is that Inuyasha? What's he doing out there?"

Not knowing entirely what was going on, and still nursing a sore head, Kagome gingerly made her way downstairs and to the back door. She opened the glass door silently and stepped out into the night.

Inuyasha was sitting with his legs tucked up against his chest and his head leaning back against the trunk of the great tree, his ears drooped forward slightly and his chest rising evenly with each breath.

A warm feeling washed over Kagome then, realizing just how innocent he looked when he was sleeping. Taking a step forward, she stopped in fear of waking the hanyou up. A soft gust of wind blew past them both, ruffling the branches of the tree and causing Inuyasha's ears to twitch slightly at the disturbance. Just then she got the sudden urge to reach out and touch them…

Reaching a tentative hand forward, she inched her way to the top of the hanyou's head. The second she ran her fingers over the soft appendages she heard the low purr crawl from his chest. The sound was soothing and she quickly found herself sitting next to him on the ground.

'He sounds more like a cat than a dog,' she thought dreamily as she continued to rub his ears.

Just then he shot forward, clenching a clawed hand around her wrist, and looked around the courtyard with a startled look on his face. Apparently he had forgotten where he was.

"Good morning, sunshine," Kagome smiled cheerfully beside him, wrapping and arm around his own to try and calm him down. Once he realized where he was, Inuyasha leaned back against the tree and stared at her.

"I didn't mean to bother you," he said quietly, his eyes trapped on the hand that was placed on his arm.

"You did no such thing, I just happened to look out my window…" she trailed off, noticing something different about the hanyou. His ears were still drooped, despite the fact that he was now fully awake, and his eyes seemed glassed over. There seemed to be a sadness surrounding him. "Is something wrong?"

"Hm?" he seemed to snap out of his thoughts. "No, there's nothing wrong. I was just thinking, is all."

She smiled at him sadly; he wasn't telling her the whole truth. "Is there something you want to talk about?"

"It's none of your business," he answered defensively, then added almost as an afterthought: "don't worry about it."

"But I do worry about you, you seem sad about something."

"It's just that…" he stopped when he suddenly became aware of who he was talking to. There was no way in hell he was going to tell his problems to Kagome. "Nevermind."

"You know, you came close to actually talking to me there," she teased. "Well, if you want to talk, know that I'll always be there."

He stared at her for a moment, trying to find a trace a deceit in her features. To his surprise, there wasn't a dishonest expression anywhere on her face; just a warm smile and a pair of caring eyes.

"Do you ever worry about…" he began, but quickly lost his words. Looking up towards the sky for inspiration, he started over. "Do you ever get scared that you'll die alone?"

Kagome could honestly say that she didn't see that one coming. She knew that something was on his mind, but this was a bit heavy. She actually didn't know what to say, so she figured it was best just to be honest.

"Uhm…actually, no." Once she spurted it out she realized how lame she sounded. When Inuyasha didn't bring his eyes back to her, she knew something was off. "But that doesn't mean that there's anything wrong with that!"

"Yeah…I know." They were quiet then, neither of them making a sound. Kagome could hear the wind playing with the grass and it reminded her of that night they spent in the woods. If only Inuyasha would smile again like he did that night. The silence was suddenly broken when he looked down at her, "I just get scared sometimes, you know?"

"I know," she smiled back, trying to feel what he was feeling. She knew deep down that her words probably meant little to him, and that actions would speak louder.

Sitting up on her knees, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his waist. It took a second, but he wrapped his arms around her planted his chin on the top of her head. Suddenly he clenched onto her, as if that simple hug was the thing that would take all of his problems away. And maybe, it a way, it was.

"I can't be alone," he whispered, his voice barely reaching her ears. "So don't you dare leave me."

Her breath hitched in her chest as the words left his mouth. Did he mean what he was saying? Did he actually want her there with him at all times?

Taking an awestruck glance up, she smiled. "I'll always be right by your side."

* * *

**AN:**

**First of all, I want to thank everyone for over 100 reviews! I never thought I would get that many and, needless to say, I'm very excited.**

**At first I was proud of this chapter...but when I re-read it I thought it was lacking in detail. Tell me what you guys think and I'll see if I need to add more in the next chapter or not. Thanks again for waiting, and I'll try to have the next chapter up shortly.**

**  
THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL OF YOUR REVIEWS!**


	15. A Girl Named Jessica?

**Chapter 13**

**A/N: I felt a tad bit bad for Sesshoumaru in the last chapter—what with making him eat all alone. I know he seems a bit OOC, but I think it fits the plot. So, to make up with for his loneliness, I shall give him someone to have fun with in this chapter. Mwahahahahaha. **

**Also, if it means anything, I was listening to "Her Legacy" by With Broken Wings. It doesn't have any words, but I highly recommend you download it. I mean buy it…because we all know that downloading music is illegal. winkwink.

* * *

**

There were two things in life that he always had a hard time figuring out. One was how to work the DVD player that his uncle had given them for Christmas the year before. The other was the maddening idea that he no longer had control over his younger brother. He knew that things would be difficult when their father passed away, but he didn't expect Inuyasha to disown him completely. And that's exactly what it felt like.

Methodically rubbing his thumb and forefinger over his eyes, Sesshoumaru let out a low groan and leaned back in his leather chair. There were bills littered across his desk and a pile of papers he had to fill out by the end of the day. But his mind wasn't on any of this.

"Where did I go wrong with him?" he muttered slightly, he voice barely above a whisper. With strength that no human man possessed, he slammed his fist down on the desk causing the ornaments on the corner the rattle before falling to the ground with a slight thud.

Sesshoumaru was about to walk from the room in need of a break from his work when the phone rang out amongst the silence. He was going to ignore it and let the machine pick it up but after three rings he decided that it could be important.

"Sesshoumaru speaking," he spoke briskly into the receiver, an air of sophistication flowing from his lips. He knew immediately that it was just another business call and let out a silent groan of annoyance. The man on the other line relayed him the news of some meeting next weekend with a shaking voice and sharp breaths. He was intimidated by Sesshoumaru, and that's just the way he liked it. "Just give this information to my secretary, she'll tell me about it later."

Without a formal closing, Sesshoumaru slammed the phone down on its base and walked from his office. He needed some coffee, and there was a small bistro down the street that he liked to haunt on his spare time.

As he expected, the small café wasn't very packed. There were only two tables being occupied when he walked in, and he quickly recognized one of the regulars. With a slight nod of recognition Sesshoumaru sat down in his own seat.

He didn't need to see the menu to know what he was going to get. The young waitress took his order with her normal cheery smile before heading off towards the kitchen.

It was places like this that allowed Sesshoumaru to escape from the fast-paced life of a businessman trying to raise his little brother. The bistro itself looked like something out of a movie. With a white picket fence lining the small outdoor seating area and the yellow walls, it looked more like his grandmother's house than it did a café. And, he had to wonder; maybe that was exactly what he liked about it.

The sound of his coffee being placed in front of him snapped Sesshoumaru out of the slight daze that he had stumbled into. Looking up to thank the waitress, expecting it to be Cathy—the waitress that always served his table, Sesshoumaru had to do a double take at the young girl standing before him.

"Is there anything else I can get you?" she spoke her rehearsed words with a smile and pulled a few napkins out of the pouch on her hip. She was going to ask again when he finally blinked a few times and responded.

"No, I'm fine," Sesshoumaru spoke briskly, returning his eyes to his coffee. "Thank you."

"Well, my name is Jessica, so just call on me if you change your mind," with practiced agility, she turned on her heels and walked back to the counter, all the while shaking her hips seductively. Sesshoumaru had to clear his throat to snap himself out of perverted thoughts.

'That was different,' he thought absentmindedly. This was the first time that Cathy didn't wait on his table, and although it wasn't that big of a deal, it did have Sesshoumaru in a bit of an excited mood.

He recalled a time when Inuyasha argued that he was so uptight because he never got laid. Sesshoumaru knew that his brother was just speaking out of rage and arrogance, but he couldn't help but think that part of it was true. Maybe what he needed was a girlfriend. Not a one night stand, mind you—that just wasn't his style. What he needed was someone that he could talk to, someone who would make it clear that he had a life outside of work.

Sesshoumaru didn't even realize that his coffee had gone cold in his hands, the steam no longer rising and the smell growing old, until Jessica returned—the same smile on her face.

"Was there something wrong with your order, sir?" she asked, a concerned look flickering across her face for the briefest of moments.

"Oh, no, I just lost track of the time," he smiled back. He realized that this Jessica girl was only a few years younger than he was, with hair as black as the darkest night held up in one messy pony tail on the side of her head. There was an innocent glow in her eyes that made her youth seem endless, a trait that he had only seen once before in the eyes of Inuyasha's mother.

"It happens to the best of us," she was trying to make conversation, but her nerves quickly got the best of her. She winked at him then, a glow to her face, "I can get you another cup if you'd like, and don't worry, I won't charge you. Just promise not to tell the boss."

He nodded, not wanting to seem too forward, and handed her the now cold cup of coffee. With that same smile she turned back to the counter up front, leaving him alone at his table once more.

Looking around he noticed that he was the only customer left in the small bistro, the other tables already cleaned and their chairs stacked neatly on top. He felt a little embarrassed, knowing that they wanted to close up and that he was so far gone into his own little world that he didn't notice what was going on around him. Leaning back in his chair, he attempted to peer over the counter to see who was still working.

The only person he could see was Jessica, her legs dangling carelessly as she sat on the counter, waiting for the coffee to brew.

"So what brings you in?" she asked casually once she noticed his gaze. He picked up how relaxed she seemed, her stance was calm and she actually seemed to want to hear his answer.

"I just needed to get out of the office," he laughed sourly, a smile tugging on the edge of his lips. "I don't recognize you, how long have you been working here?"

She seemed to think for a moment, her index finger rising to tap her lips playfully. "About a week, I suppose. You must be a regular, huh?"

"I guess you could say that," he was going to say more when the beeping of the coffee machine sounded between them. Jumping down from the counter, Jessica sharply sucked in air as she landed on her ankle the wrong way. In seconds he was by her side, an arm wrapped protectively around her waist and helping to steady her. "Are you okay?"

She couldn't hide the blush that spread across her cheeks as his hands snaked around her midsection, his grip tightening as she stood up. Brushing a rogue hair behind her ear, she smiled up to him. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you."

He suddenly realized what he was doing and snapped his arms to his sides almost embarrassedly. A slight blush graced his cheeks, but he quickly replaced it with a scowl.

"Is something wrong?" she asked when she noticed the look on his face. Turning to retrieve the coffee, she pulled out two mugs and poured herself a cup. Adding two creams to hers, she handed him the cup and asked again.

"No, it's just…I wasn't thinking when I grabbed you just then," he said modestly, turning his eyes to the window and bringing the cup to his lips.

"Don't feel bad, if it wasn't for you it could've been even worse." There was that smile again, that smile that seemed to trap Sesshoumaru in a warm box of good feelings. He found himself staring again, but this time he didn't bother pulling away. "It's Rin, by the way."

Her comment threw him off slightly, and Sesshoumaru was stuck with a confused on his face. "Come again?"

"My name—it isn't Jessica, it's Rin. Rin Yuukaku." He glanced at her name tag, which he just realized read Christine. But he knew that she was being honest, and, somehow, the name Rin seemed to fit her perfectly.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Rin." He smiled, extending his hand as a friendly gesture. "I'm Sesshoumaru Takahashi."

"The pleasure's all mine," she smiled wickedly, and he knew that she wasn't as innocent as she seemed. "We should get together sometime."

"I think that would be great," they sat for a moment, both drinking their coffee but their eyes locked firmly on the other's. There was a heated tension between them that Sesshoumaru faintly picked up between his jumbled thoughts.

The next thing he knew her fingers were entangled in his hair and her lips were pressed ferociously over his own, the coffee mug that was once in her hand lay strewn across the floor. The air was sucked from his lungs as they both fought for dominance, not a coherent thought running through either of their minds. They were caught up in the moment and both of them were determined to make it last as long as possible.

In a desperate move he shoved her into the opposite counter, a few pots rattling at the force of the impact. She let out a gasp as her back collided with the wall, but her mind quickly became fogged as his lips found the crook of her neck. Both of their breathes were coming in ragged pants and he moved up to capture her lips once again, cutting off any air supply she could have been relying on. Moving quickly, she wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him closer to her.

She clasped her arms round his neck in a vice grip as his right hand slid up her shirt and his other pushed firmly on her hip. Pulling back for hair, he suddenly faltered. He didn't know this girl, and yet here he was—pinning her to the wall of a café and ravishing her. This wasn't right.

He pulled away sharply, causing her to drop awkwardly to the ground with her hand clasped to the wall to steady her.

"I'm sorry, I don't usually act that way," he blurted out quickly, his breaths still coming in short intervals.

"Me neither," she answered honestly, trying to straighten out her now ruined ponytail. "I don't know what came over me just then."

They stood opposite of each other for a second—a second that dragged on for an eternity—neither of them looking the other in the eye. The tension was so thick it was almost tangible. Sesshoumaru knew that someone had to make the first move, and when he realized that she wasn't going to, he stepped forward.

"Listen, I would appreciate it if you didn't judge me off of this little…situation," he said after a moment, searching his brain for the right words. "But I meant it when I said I'd like to meet up with you sometime."

"Same," she answered simply. She met his gaze then, noticing that he was just as flustered as she was, and couldn't help but smile at him. "There's something special about you, Sesshoumaru Takahashi."

* * *

She couldn't lie to herself; she had seen him around town a few times before. Always in his pin-stripe suit and an entourage at his heels, she could tell that he was somebody important. 

When he walked into the café she asked Cathy if she could take his table, knowing that she may never get the opportunity to be this close to someone of his status again. And, as fate would have it, it proved to be a very good idea.

With practiced ease, she wrote her number down on a stranded napkin and slid it into his hand. As he clutched the small paper between his fingers she turned and began to clean up around the small kitchen, signaling that the conversation was over. He got the hint and, albeit reluctantly, left the bistro without another word.

The second he was out the door she collapsed against the counter, he legs turning to jelly and her arms grasping the linoleum for support. A long sigh escaped her lips as she got the sudden urge to do the happy dance right there in the kitchen.

Composing herself, only to jump with giddiness and have to do it again, Rin grabbed the shop keys from the small rack on the wall and headed for the door. With a jangle of the keys, she locked the door and walked off into the crisp Tokyo night, smiling at the first signs of autumn graced the surrounding trees.

She meant it when she said there was something special about Sesshoumaru. He was different from the other guys she had known; he was powerful, forceful—almost demonic. In a good way, of course.

As she walked towards the apartment she called home, she couldn't help but wonder if he would actually call her. She felt like a schoolgirl again, but she had to admit that it wasn't a bad feeling. For the first time in a long time, she felt alive. She felt as if she could accomplish anything—that was, until she dropped her cell phone in a puddle.

Maybe things were the same as they always were, maybe she would just stay the same clumsy Rin she had always been—or maybe, just maybe, they were about to change.

* * *

Inuyasha could have sworn that Sesshoumaru come home with a bounce in his step that night. He was two seconds away from skipping when the hanyou shouted a few obscenities over his shoulder. 

"What's got you all keyed up?" he spat, turning his gaze from the TV for a second before realizing that the infomercial was far more interesting.

"I guess you could say that I met somebody," Sesshoumaru smiled, taking off his coat and sitting beside his younger brother on the couch. "What are you watching?"

"An advert for some body lotion," he smiled wickedly as the scantily clad lady came back on the screen. "So what do you mean by you 'met somebody?'"

"Exactly that," Sesshoumaru seemed less interested in the TV as he started to tell the events of the night. "Her name is Rin and she works down at that café I always go to. She's a really nice—"

"Save it," Inuyasha interrupted rudely. "I don't really care what you did. I'm just waiting for this chick to take her top off."

"Well, I'm going to tell you whether you like it or not. Actually, I think you might be quite proud of me," he paused when he heard Inuyasha scoff. "I almost took her right there in the kitchen."

"Right," Inuyasha didn't bother holding in his laugh. "If that's the case, then why didn't you?"

"Because I'm a gentleman, and I realized that I barely knew the girl."

"Don't come in here making up stories, you Republican Boushwa Princess," Inuyasha turned to give him a mocking look before focusing on the TV again.

"What the hell does that mean?" Sesshoumaru laughed, knowing the he had his brother pegged.

"I don't know, but it sure sounded cool," he shrugged.

Sesshoumaru sighed and stood up, preparing to head off to bed. "Whatever," he mumbled with a smile. Taking one last glance at his brother, he made his way to his bedroom.

"There must be something in the air," Inuyasha muttered bitterly before turning up the volume on the TV. A happy grin spread across his face as the camera zoomed in.

* * *

**AN: Hmm…it was a bit short, and I think Inuyasha was a bit OOC. But I just wanted to make him seem like your average guy. Also, I know that most people don't usually attack each other in a fury of kisses when they first meet, but I wanted they're relationship to be different from most. Plus, Sesshy seems like a pretty forceful guy.**

**Oh, and also the word Yuukaku means orchid in Japanese (or at least that's what an online translator told me). I figured that since Rin seems to be picking flowers for Sesshoumaru all the time in the anime, naming her after one of the most exotic flowers around would be appropriate. **

Anyway, thanks again for all of you who have reviewed (or even simply read) my story! It means the world to me!


	16. Cheap Shot

**Not That Social**

**Chapter 15: Cheap Shot**

**AN: I really need to apologize. It took so long to update this chapter, and I feel really bad because of it. First I had a major writer's block, then the holidays came along (giving me practically no time to write), and, to top it all off, when I finally got inspired my computer got infected by spyware. God damn computers, I hate them. So I re-wrote most of this chapter this morning in an all-night music binge, so forgive me if it sucks major monkey balls. **

**But the problem has been solved, and here's chapter fifteen. I apologize once again.**

**This chapter is dedicated to Graffiti Girl because she went and reviewed every one of my chapters. It made me feel special (and it really boosted my number of reviews). So thanks, hon!

* * *

**

Inuyasha wasn't pleased to find a letter from his school sitting in his mail box the following morning. With the principal's name printed formally on the front, the small piece of paper seemed almost menacing. It was addressed to his older brother, but, of course, Inuyasha planned to open it for himself.

Running a sharp claw along the seam, Inuyasha briskly tore the thin paper open. Inside there was even more paper, as was expected, folded neatly in thirds. He pulled it out and scanned it with his eyes, only half interested in what it said.

"We regret to inform you, yadda-yadda-yadda," he read aloud, he eyes darting back in forth trying to pick out key phrases. Then they fell on the dreadful words that he knew his brother would have his head for. "Oh fuck."

"Is there anything important in the post today?" Sesshoumaru asked from behind him, causing Inuyasha to jump out of his skin. Quickly shoving the note in his pocket, he turned to face his older brother.

"You shouldn't sneak up on me like that, you'll give me a heart attack or something," he heard his brother scoff almost inaudibly.

"You didn't answer my question," Sesshoumaru gestured towards the envelope that lay at Inuyasha's feet, his right eyebrow rising slightly.

"Oh," he coughed to clear his throat. "Yeah, that's nothing important. It's just another one of those enrollment letters."

He knew that Sesshoumaru didn't buy it from the look in his eyes, but the elder youkai seemed to play along, "Have you replied to any of those yet?"

"N-no," he stammered, suddenly intimidated by his brother's presence. He felt him take a step forward and Inuyasha promptly bent over and picked up the discarded envelope. Sesshoumaru was being uncharacteristically threatening, something that only happened when Inuyasha was in trouble. "None of them have caught my eye."

"I see," there was an uncomfortable silence then, Sesshoumaru giving his brother an all-knowing look as Inuyasha stuck his chin up in defiance. "Well, I'm going to head to work, you should get to school."

Inuyasha stood there for a moment, willing his jaw to connect with the rest of his skull. 'He's not going to press the issue further? What's going on?'

"Uh, yeah, school—I'll see you later then," he grabbed the keys to the spare car from the small dish by the door and headed outside, twirling the keys around his index finger. He didn't dare look behind him to see if his older brother followed him out the door; rather he climbed in the car and turned the ignition, his eyes glued to the steering wheel.

As soon as he pulled out of the driveway he saw his brother climb in his own car, slamming the door behind him.

'Maybe he already knows…' it was a fleeting thought, and Inuyasha quickly swiped it from his mind as he pulled out of the driveway. He didn't want to be late picking Kagome up.

* * *

As he sped towards her shrine, one word kept circling around his mind. If he thought about it, he guessed it wasn't really that big of a deal—but he was positive that Sesshoumaru wouldn't take it as lightly.

"Fucking principal," he cursed, leaning on the steering wheel lightly. Making a sharp left, he pulled off of the expressway and turned down Kagome's street—earning a few honks from the cars he cut off.

Flipping them the bird, he flew down the residential street, not stopping until he was beneath the large steps to the shrine.

He pulled the keys from the ignition and climbed out, grumbling when he thought of the massive amount of steps he had to climb. Taking a quick peek to either side of him, making sure that nobody was looking, Inuyasha snickered and scaled the 132 with one demonic leap.

"Keh, I didn't even break a sweat," he smiled cockily as he made his way to their front door. Just as he raised his fist to rap on the wooden barrier, the door flew open with alarming speed and a small kid came running out, nearly knocking Inuyasha off his feet.

"I'm going to be late!" he yelled, pushing past Inuyasha and rushing towards the steps, a small tin lunchbox clattering as he ran.

"Sota, get your butt back here!" Kagome yelled, waving her arms in the air in order to get him to stop. The little kid paid her no mind, however, and continued to run. "Little brat."

"Is that your little brother?" Inuyasha asked with a smile, causing Kagome to jump. She just realized he was standing there and gave a weak blush, swatting the hair out of her face.

"Yeah, that's Sota…the crazy kid actually loves school," she laughed, more to herself than to him. She reached into the vestibule by the door and grabbed her yellow backpack, "you ready?"

"Yeah," he grabbed the pack from her and began walking towards the steps.

"Mamma, Inuyasha's going to give me a ride to school!" she called, cupping her hands around her mouth to amplify her voice. "I'll see you this afternoon!"

From somewhere in the house Inuyasha heard her mother say goodbye, but he was certain that Kagome's human ears didn't pick it up. Deciding to leave it alone, he scoffed and continued walking.

"Thank you for picking me up," Kagome smiled as she reached his side.

"Don't worry about it," throwing her backpack roughly into the back seat of the car, Inuyasha opened the door for her before climbing in on his own side.

"This is quite the change from your bike," she stated with yet another radiating smile. Inuyasha had to wonder if she ever had a frown on her face.

"Yeah, it seemed too dewy outside to take the bike," he shrugged; wondering if dewy was actually a word. She gave him a reassuring smile before turning to gaze out the window.

They drove mostly in silence, Kagome eventually giving up on finding something good on the radio. The morning was still crisp, and as she rolled down her window she could feel the dew lapping at her face. It was refreshing, and she couldn't hold back from closing her eyes and allowing a smile to cross her lips.

Inuyasha peeked over at her from the corner of his eye, trying to keep his sight on the road at the same time, and he couldn't help but smile himself. 'She looks so happy,' he thought, his hand reaching out to rest on her thigh affectionately.

She seemed startled by his sudden actions, but quickly got over it. Bringing her hand to rest over his, she smiled at him before once again placing her head out the window. They drove the entire way there like that—both of them just enjoying the other's company and slight touch.

In Kagome's opinion, they arrived at the school all too soon. She hesitated for a second before unbuckling her seatbelt; she wanted the moment to last as long as possible. When she realized that Inuyasha wasn't getting out, she turned to him.

"Aren't you coming in?" she asked, her eyebrows scrunching up in confusion.

"Nah, I've got some stuff to take care of," he pulled his eyes from hers and diverted them to a random car in the parking lot. It wasn't long before he felt her hand wrap around his upper arm.

When he refused to look at her, she gently put her fingers under his chin and brought his face to hers. "There's something you're not telling me."

His eyes glazed over for a second and it seemed as if he was having an internal battle over what to tell her. Just when she thought he was going to give her the answer, he scowled and turned up his nose, "Can't I have any privacy?"

Kagome was taken aback, to say the least, and didn't quite know what to say. She didn't think whatever was on his mind would be that big of a deal. "Of course you can have privacy, I was just curious. Forgive me," the last part was said with a hint of sarcasm and she couldn't help but smile at the irritated scowl that appeared on his face.

"You really want to know?" he said angrily, his voice a few octaves below shouting. Reaching into his pocket, he threw a crumpled piece of paper at her.

For a few seconds Kagome didn't do much more than stare at it, not sure if she was imposing on his personal space. As the seconds drew on, she grabbed the paper and smoothed it out.

Her eyes darted about the paper, much as Inuyasha's had earlier that day. After she was done, she took a deep breath and looked at him.

"You got suspended?" she asked hesitantly, her cheeks burning as a smile spread across her face. "Is this what you were worried about?"

He blushed and looked away, a soft 'keh' leaving his lips. With a smile she wrapped her arms awkwardly around his waist, trying to find a comfortable position over the gear shift.

"What were you so worried about?" she asked into his chest. "People get suspended all the time."

He took a deep breath, still refusing to bring his eyes to her, "I didn't want you to think of me as…" He paused, suddenly embarrassed.

"Tell me," she chuckled, tracing invisible patterns on his chest with her index finger.

"I didn't want you to think of me as…" he stopped again at the same spot, his hand coming up to rest on her back, "…as a bad person."

"You're a good person, Inuyasha," she said reassuringly. "And there's nothing you could do that would make me think otherwise."

He smiled then, hugging her to his chest. "Thanks."

"Plus, it was funny as hell when you flicked off the principal," she giggled, bringing her hand up to cover her mouth discreetly. She felt the laugh build in his chest and her smile grew bigger.

"Yeah it was, wasn't it?" his laughter dyed down as she pressed her self into his chest, a soft sigh escaping her lips.

They sat in his car like that for a few moments, his nose buried deep in her hair, before she heard the school bell ring outside.

"I need to get to class," she said sleepily. She didn't want to pull herself from Inuyasha's arms, but she knew that there was no way around it.

"Hm," he nodded with half-lidded eyes. "You better go, then."

Even though he said it and she nodded in return, she remained in his arms. For the first time in her life she felt safe, and she didn't want to leave that feeling behind when she went into the school building.

He bent down and planted a kiss on her forehead before shoving her away gently. She understood what he was getting at and grabbed her backpack from the backseat. As she opened the car door, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled at him, their eyes locking for the longest moment.

The school bell rang once more, pulling her from her thoughts and guiding her to the building like teenaged girls after a pop star. She didn't turn her back to him until she reached the door, their eyes not moving until absolutely having to.

And just like that, she was out of his sight and out of his protection. He wanted to run in there after her, feeling like a father on his kid's first day of Kindergarten, but he knew that he couldn't. With a drawn out sigh, he turned the ignition back on and pulled out onto the street.

* * *

He had a lot on his mind, a lot of stuff that seemed to be building up over the past few days. And there was only one place he could go that would allow him the peace he needed to organize his thoughts.

Inuyasha pulled the car around the elegant seafood restaurant, parking it in the small spot behind a garage. Before he even got out he could feel the difference in the air. It was thicker here, so moist it felt like the Gods could start crying at any moment.

Slipping off his shoes, Inuyasha let his bare feet sink into the soft sand of the beach. The feeling was visceral as he walked down the shore at a hurried pace. This was exactly what he needed—to be amongst nature, to get his head cleared, to figure things out.

He quickly found his favorite spot and sunk down to sit on the small piece of drift wood that served as a bench. The waves lapped at the beach at a steady pace, beating out a slow beat amongst the rocks. As he looked up, Inuyasha caught site of a seagull circling his head, letting out the occasional caw before flapping its wings again.

As always, his mind began to wander—reaching out to topics that he needed to muse over. The first person that came to mind, not surprisingly, was Kagome.

He let a small smile grace his lips as her image painted itself in his mind's eye. She was perfect, more so than any other person he could think of.

"_You're a good person, Inuyasha,"_ her words swirled around his head, threatening to make him dizzy. Trying to latch on to that one beautiful thought, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

The stunning waterfront was purged from his view as he began to think of the woman of his dreams, the ever familiar question circling his mind: 'Why can't I get her out of my head?'

There were lines that connected her to him, lines that entwined their souls. Inuyasha tried to follow the thin lines, trying to find exactly where they connected—but he couldn't. All he could tell was that they were meant to be there.

He never realized how lost he was before he met her, how alone he was in the world. Since she came into his life he had been happy, knowing that she would always wait for him, knowing that she would always be by his side. He would never have to beg her to come back to him, because she would never leave him.

'I haven't felt this way since…' his thoughts trailed off, not being able to complete that sentence.

As if by a curse upon him, his thoughts were snatched from him as the Principal's letter came to mind. Letting out a low growl, he fisted his hands in his hair and dug the heel of his foot into the sand.

"What the fuck is Sesshoumaru going to do when he finds out?" He knew that his brother wasn't big on punishment—he felt almost as if he didn't have the right to take over in that department. But whenever Inuyasha did something wrong, his brother managed to make him regret it.

'He'll probably skin you alive,' his conscience mocked, and if it had a face Inuyasha imagined it sticking its tongue out at him.

Picking up a small rock beside him, Inuyasha threw it as hard as he could at the water. With a satisfying plop it landed a good fifteen meters away. As he bent down to get another one, he felt the cell phone in his pocked vibrate.

Wondering who the hell would be calling him at this hour—when he _should_ be in school—Inuyasha flipped it open and muttered a greeting.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome's chipper voice sounded on the other end. "I forgot that we have a half day today! I'm calling in between hours right now, but classes end in about forty five minutes."

He glanced at his watch briefly, just then realizing how much time had passed. "Oh, okay. I'll be there to pick you up, then."

"Great!" he could hear the smile in her voice as they both said their goodbye's and hung up.

Running his hands through his hair, he sighed and slowly made his way back to the car. There were a few things that he didn't get off his chest, but they would have to wait for another day.

* * *

Inuyasha pulled up to the high school just as kids started coming out. With his elbow propped out the open window and his head in his hand, he waited uninterestedly for Kagome to meet him.

"Jesus, how long does it take to go to your locker?" he thought aloud, pulling the keys from the ignition.

Not two minutes after he said it did he see her come bouncing out the door, her big yellow backpack slung over her shoulder. She waved at him from the door with a smile on her face as she spotted him.

"Hey, Kagome, do you want to go shopping with us?" Ayumi called as she ran up to her friend, grasping Kagome's shoulder.

"Oh, actually I was going to—" she didn't get the chance to finish that sentence.

"Come on, it'll be lots of fun!" Yuki walked over, quickly followed by Eri.

"But Inuyasha is waiting for me—" Kagome rolled her eyes when she was cut off once again.

"Inuyasha's picking you up?" Ayumi asked with an impish grin on her face. "Maybe he could give us a ride, then."

"I don't know; I wouldn't want to use him like that…" Ayumi slapped her on the back, a little roughly, and smiled.

"Don't worry about that, I'm sure he wouldn't mind one bit!" Before Kagome could argue, she was being pulled towards Inuyasha's car by three overly-excited friends.

Inuyasha saw the whole ordeal and sighed as they approached the car, his fingers lazily scratching his scalp.

"Inuyasha—" Kagome tried to call out a warning, but was quickly cut off by Ayumi, something that was starting to really piss her off.

"Hey there, buddy, Kagome says that you wouldn't mind giving us a lift to the mall," she smiled, inching her way towards the car. Before she reached the curb, Inuyasha jumped out and slammed the door.

"Oh, did she?" Unbeknownst to them, he had heard the entire conversation, and was planning on getting a good laugh out of this.

"Yeah, isn't that right, Kagome?" she asked, turning to her friend. Kagome just grinned confidently, knowing what Inuyasha was doing.

"Well, I would love to drive you charming ladies all around town, but Kagome and I have already made plans," he winked seductively, "if you know what I mean."

Kagome's face quickly turned a deep shade of red as she turned away from her friends, utterly embarrassed.

"Is that so?" Ayumi smiled.

"Very much so," he was about to say something equally as smooth when he reached in his pocket and noticed it was surprisingly empty. A shocked expression fell over his face for a second before he turned around and saw his keys sitting in the driver's seat, the doors firmly locked. "Goddammit."

"What's the matter, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, finally over her little spell.

He bashfully brought his hand up to rub the back of his neck, "I kind of…locked the keys in the car."

She let out a loud groan as her friends giggled, slapping an exaggerated palm to her forehead. "Well, what are we going to do about it?"

Inuyasha just shrugged and brought his eyes back to the keys. He could have sworn they were laughing at him from behind the glass.

"Only a loser like you could do something_ that_ stupid," they all turned their heads to the sound of the voice, a low growl coming from Inuyasha.

"What do you want, Kouga?" Kagome stepped forward, a frown on her face.

"For you to leave dog breath here," he jerked a finger at Inuyasha, "and to come out with me."

Inuyasha's growl gained power as he took a step towards Kouga, his fists clenched tightly, "you're going to have to go through me first."

"Oh, how original," Kouga smirked, taking stance in front of the hanyou. His anger was still brimming from their last confrontation, and he was planning on making this fight worth his time. "I don't think that will be a problem."

Before Kouga could blink, Inuyasha shot a well-aimed kick right for his face, barely missing. The hanyou's foot flew past his head, blowing his black hair angrily. Not waiting for another attack, Kouga backhanded Inuyasha across the face before jabbing his right elbow into his gut.

Inuyasha doubled over for a second, but took his lower position as an opportunity to swipe Kouga's feet out from under him. The jock fell to the ground with a thud, hissing as his back hit the concrete.

"What are you going to do now?" Inuyasha laughed, pressing his foot down on Kouga's chest. He was about to walk away in victory when Kouga latched onto his ankle and twisted—hard.

Inuyasha let out a yelp and fell to the ground himself, rubbing is ankle tenderly. Kouga stood and made to kick Inuyasha where he sat, but the hanyou rolled out of the way and jumped to his feet. They circled each other for a moment before Kouga leapt forward and landed a kick right in Inuyasha's solar plexus, causing him to slam into his car. Beside him, he heard all four of the girls gasp.

'That kick was _way_ too strong for a human,' Kagome thought frantically. 'Could Kouga be…a youkai?'

"Keh, lucky shot," They hear Inuyasha mutter before wiping the corner of his mouth and standing. Kagome could have sworn she heard his back crunch as he stood. "That's the only one you're going to get."

Kouga was about to say something back, but before he got the chance Inuyasha's fist connected painfully with his cheek. Spitting the blood from his split lip on the pavement, Kouga growled and launched himself at the hanyou once more.

They moved so fast that the girls barely caught their movements except the few slow occasions when one of them were thrown to the ground. Both of the boys seemed to be equally matched and bruised, and it was hard to determine who would come out the victor.

What happened next was a blur to Kagome. Kouga pinned the hanyou to the ground, his head snapping against the concrete with a sick thud, and wrapped his hand tightly around his neck. Inuyasha's hand reached up to wrap around the thin wrist in an attempt to pull it away, but Kouga was prepared for that. He swatted the hand away and squeezed tighter, satisfaction shinning in his eyes when Inuyasha clenched his eyes shut.

Kagome tried to call for him to stop, but found the words impossible say. Her throat seemed to close up on her as she tried to scream but no sound came out.

In a last-ditch effort, Inuyasha pulled his knee up and slammed it into Kouga's groin and pushed him to the side. As the hand pulled away from his neck, the hanyou coughed and sucked air into his burning lungs. Knowing that Kouga would be pissed, he quickly climbed to his feet and took a sloppy fighting stance, his head still spinning from having its oxygen supply momentarily cut off.

"You fucking bastard," Kouga panted, staggering to his feet. "That was a cheap shot."

Inuyasha shrugged and shifted his feet into a better stance, his fists clenching into his palms. His breathing was still ragged when Kouga rushed at him, and he wasn't entirely sure if he could block his next attack.

Kouga's fist rushed forward, making a bee-line for Inuyasha's face. Knowing that he was moving too slowly, all Inuyasha could do was scrunch his eyes shut and wait for the impact.

"Cut it out!" Kagome seemed to find her voice as she yelled, her fists clenched at her side and her face livid. "I don't want you guys to fight any more!"

Kouga's eyes widened as the words sunk in, his hands falling limp at his sides. He walked over to Kagome with a smile and clasped her hands in his almost protectively. "I'm just trying to defend my woman."

"She's not your woman, Kouga," Inuyasha growled, but Kouga just ignored him.

"What are you doing this afternoon, Kagome?" he asked, his eyes sparkling and staring intently into hers.

"I'm spending the evening with Inuyasha, thank you," she pulled her hands from his and walked to stand beside the man who stole her heart. A large smirk crossed Inuyasha's face as he wrapped an arm around her waist, loving every moment of Kouga's jealousy.

"Freak," Kouga spat, "she's just using you, you know." They could tell he was searching for insults, and because of this Inuyasha wasn't offended at all.

"I'm sure, because I've got so much to be used for, right?" Inuyasha replied sarcastically. "Get over it, Kouga, she doesn't like you."

Kouga grit his teeth for a second, unsure of what to say, before turning on his heel and stalking away. As he reached the sidewalk, he called over his shoulder, "This isn't over, freak!"

Inuyasha laughed bitterly, his laugh quickly turning into a cough as the air rushed from his parched throat.

"Are you doing okay?" Kagome asked with a caring hand placed on his chest. "That was a pretty nasty fight."

"Yeah, I'll be just peachy," he smiled, but she saw a hint of something else in his eyes. Before she could ask him about it, he called out to her friends who were just standing on the sidelines awestruck. "Do you guys need a ride or not?"

They seemed to snap out of their daze at the sound of his voice. Ayumi, not surprisingly, stepped forward with a smile. "That'd be great."

'He's actually going to drive them?' Kagome was even more shocked when he smiled back and headed for the car door.

"Uhm, Inuyasha?" she asked timidly, trying to fight back the laughter. When he turned to her, she continued. "What about the keys?"

"Ah crap!" he shouted, sounding almost comedic, before banging his head on the car door. Without another word, he punched his fist through the glass, causing it to shatter and allowing him to unlock the door. "Problem solved!"

"But you just broke your window…" Kagome pointed to all the glass.

"Eh, it's not cold out," he shrugged and climbed into the car. Kagome opened the passenger door and motioned for her friends to follow. They timidly climbed into the car, all of them looking a bit apprehensive.

The second they were buckled in, Inuyasha rocketed out of the parking lot at fifty miles an hour, the g-force pushing all of them into their seats. The mall was an hour-and-half's walk from the high school, but at the speed Inuyasha was driving, and his complete disregard for stop lights, they made it there in less than twenty minutes.

Not bothering to park, he pulled up to the front door and jerked the car into park. Resting his elbow where his window used to be, he smiled at the girls—all of which were clutching their seats in fear.

"Cheer up, you made it here alive," he grumbled.

"T-Thanks for the l-lift," Ayumi stuttered, trying to gain control over her breathing. She could have sworn they were all going to die in that car.

"No problem," he winked as they climbed out of the car, Eri's legs shaking once they hit ground.

"Aren't you guys coming in?" Yuki asked when she saw them both still sitting in the car.

"No, we're—" Inuyasha began, but Kagome quickly cut him off in fear of him saying anything embarrassing.

"We have some things to take care of, actually," she smiled warmly.

Ayumi smiled right back, but there was a hint of worry in her eyes. "Yeah, but you guys drove us all the way here; it wouldn't be right if we just took off on you."

"Don't worry about it, it was on our way home," Kagome lied politely, waving a hand to brush them aside. "Go and enjoy yourselves."

"But how will we get home?" Ayumi asked as a last attempt to get her friend to come along. She knew how guilty Kagome would feel, and had a suspicion that it would work. She was right.

"Okay, but only for a little bit," she smiled. "Let us go find a place to park, we'll meet you inside."

As the three girls walked inside, Inuyasha turned to her with a look of utter shock on his face. He looked absolutely terrified. "What did you just say to them? Do we actually _have_ to go shopping with them!"

"Inuyasha, they're my friends and I would like to spend some time with them. Now, since you are with me, this seems like the perfect opportunity for you to socialize."

"With girls!"

"Yes, with girls." She smiled, "don't worry about it."

"But…it's girls…and shopping…and it's going to take all night, and I'm going to have to watch them try on dresses, and I'll be forced to carry all of your bags, and—"

"Inuyasha," she cut off his rant with a forceful tone. "I said we're going shopping, and that's final." She heard an audible gulp come from the boy beside her and she smiled victoriously.

With a loud groan, admitting defeat but letting her know that he wasn't happy with it, he put the car in drive and set out in search of a parking spot.

* * *

**AN: And that's where I'm going to leave it. Mwahahahahahahahahaha! How will Inuyasha survive his trip to the mall? Review if you want to know.**


	17. Evil Mall of Doom

**Chapter 16**

**Important Note: I can't apologize enough for how late this chapter is, and there isn't an excuse good enough in the world to forgive me. However, if you would please read my explanation for the delay at the end of this chapter, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you.**

**Chapter Note: I realized that I haven't shown a whole lot of interaction between Kagome and her family, so I added some into this chapter.

* * *

**

He hated everything about the mall. Every small, stupid detail. He hated the shopping, he hated the people, he hated the stores, he hated the smell—he didn't really mind the food court, but that doesn't count—and he especially hated the clothes. Inuyasha tried to imagine living the life of a mallrat, spending every day lounging at the Orange Julius and playing Dance Dance Revolution in the small arcade, but the thought made him want to vomit. Rolling his eyes as he passed through the door, Inuyasha grabbed his girlfriend's hand and braced himself for the terrors that awaited him.

"You don't have to be such a guy about this," the voice next to him teased, and if it wasn't Kagome he probably would have had blood on his hands.

"Don't have to be such a _guy_? What are you saying, that you want me to be a _woman_?" when she rolled her eyes at him he decided not to push his luck.

They walked hand-in-hand until they met up with Kagome's friends outside of Borders, the second she saw them her hand left his and she rushed to their sides. He noted briefly how cold his hand felt after that, but ignored in favor of stuffing them into his pockets.

The girls chatted pointlessly for a few minutes, squealing on in high pitched voices about this week's pop star and trend in clothing. Inuyasha couldn't help but roll his eyes at the topic of conversation. If it were up to him, he'd be browsing through the food court by now. Deciding it would be best to stay out of their way, he shoved his hands deeper in his pockets and tried to find something to distract himself with. There was an American guy selling remote-controlled cars at a little booth nearby.

"Inuyasha!" he heard someone call from a few feet ahead. As he looked up he saw Kagome waving her hands to get his attention, her friends looking annoyed behind her. He must have dazed off… "We're going into PacSun, are you coming with us?"

"Whatever," he grumbled, slouching his shoulders to show just how pissed he was. The girls obviously didn't notice as they made their way inside.

The first two things Inuyasha noted about PacSun was mind-numbingly bright clothes and the horrifying pop music blasting from the stereos. The sound was semi-reminiscent of nails on a chalk board and that thought alone made him want to turn tail and run.

"Welcome to Pacific Sunwear, can I help you find anything today?" a chirpy woman asked, placing a friendly hand on his shoulder. Her faux-smile was wider than anything he had ever seen before and he had to squelch the urge to punch the employee in the face.

"No, I'm good," he answered, wrenching his arm away and wandering deeper into the war-zone of a store.

It didn't take him very long to find the girls, but he decided to stay back and not bother them too much. The store was definitely crowded and every step Inuyasha made he bumped into another customer. It was like a moshpit—except without the good music and the actual moshing.

"God I fucking hate this," he mumbled as silently as possibly, trying not to attract any attention to himself.

"Did you say something, Inuyasha?" Too late. Kagome had turned around and placed a warm hand on his arm, the same place where that employee's had been a minute ago, and gave him a questioning look. He had to answer this one correctly—not sure if she was about to hug him or tear his head off.

"Uhm, no, I was just commenting on this lovely sweater!" before she could say anything he grabbed the closest thing to him and waved it in the air: a pastel-pink wool sweater from a nearby rack. Kagome knew that somebody wasn't being honest.

"Oh, okay then," she smiled wickedly, causing Inuyasha to gulp and take a timid step backwards. "Maybe you should buy it, I think pink is definitely your color."

"I agree!" Yuki had to chime in her two-cents behind her.

"I don't think I have enough money to spend on this kind of thing…" he tried to argue, quickly moving to put the sweater back.

"Nonsense," Kagome grabbed it. "I saw your wallet earlier; you have more than enough for this silly thing!"

"God dammit," he couldn't hold back the grumble. The look Kagome gave him reminded him of one his mother would give, but he quickly stuck his tongue out at her and moved to go pay for the stupid sweater.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"To…pay for the haggard pink sweater?" he asked, not sure if that was the correct answer or not.

"Not yet you're not, you still need to help us with our shopping," she smiled and gave him an evil wink before turning back to her friends.

Shoulders hunched and curses falling from his lips with practiced ease, Inuyasha trudged deeper into the store behind them. Little did he know, it would be another hour before he left.

"God, it feels like we've been stuck in this hell four seven days!" Inuyasha shouted as they walked through the mall hallways. A few people turned to stare at the shouting mad man, but for the most part things continued on as normal.

"Stop exaggerating, Inuyasha," Kagome scolded ahead of him, not bothering to turn around. "It's only been three hours, so hold your horses, we're almost done."

"You said that two hours ago!" he whined, his eyes growing wide and pouty as he stuck out his bottom lip like a small child.

"You can go if you want," she smiled kindly, his hopes lifting for the briefest of moments before she added, "But how would we get home?"

"Goddamn you cruel people," he grumbled once more, sticking his hands in his pockets and following them once more through the evil mall of doom. "Can I at least go chill in the food court or something?"

"Well…" Kagome seemed to think about it. "I guess that would be okay, but don't leave the food court. If we need to find you later and you're not there…"

"Don't worry about that, where else would I go in this dreaded place?" he scoffed, turning around to leave before she could answer.

Half way to the food court Inuyasha abandoned his promise and wandered into a small record store. Normally he found it offensive to buy albums from the market, but why not look while he's here?

The store wasn't organized very well, split into three categories: Rap/R&B, Country, and Other. He tried to think of how people found anything in this store, and decided to look around to find out for himself.

Browsing the 'Other' section seemed to be his best guess, seeing as he didn't like Rap or Country. Plus, it was the biggest section, unsurprisingly. At the front of the section was Avril Lavigne, quickly followed by Good Charlotte and Fallout Boy. Thing obviously weren't in alphabetical order, which just made it harder to navigate. He figured that if they even carried what he liked, it would probably be at the very end.

Towards the back of the row he spotted something that caught his eye. A dark CD covered in a decorative design sat on the top next to the new HIM CD. The labeling was just as dark, the words only visible when he tilted the cover toward the light.

"The Rasmus, huh?" he read aloud, his eyes scanning the small plastic case. Taking a quick glance of the store, he spotted the single camera placed foolishly over the cash register. Could it be any more perfect?

Swiping a sharp nail along the edges and tearing off the protective tape, Inuyasha popped the CD open and pulled it out. The book was thick and there was something written in a foreign language on the inside. Deciding on visuals alone, he stuffed the CD into one of his deeper pockets and continued to scanning the shelves.

A little further down he spotted a Wednesday 13 CD and repeated the same procedure. Five minutes later he had ten CDs packed in his deep pockets, none of them noticeable as he walked towards the door.

"Find everything you need, sir?" a pimple-faced teenager asked from behind the counter.

"No, this store fucking sucks," Inuyasha tossed over his shoulder as he meandered out into the mall and headed for the food court.

* * *

Grabbing a burger from Wendys and some French Fries from the McDonalds right next door, Inuyasha found a seat in a semi-secluded spot and began digging through his pockets.

Pulling out a worn CD player and the fist CD he found, Inuyasha popped the headphones over his ears and began his meal with the CD on random. The song 'Nymphetamine' by Cradle of Filth began to blast in his ears and he couldn't help but smile at the beauty of it. Of course he already knew the song; he had downloaded it on one of his Pirating sprees. But now he owned the CD, which was fan-fucking-tastic.

Half way through the CD he felt a timid finger tap on his right shoulder three times. Turning around, the headphones falling to lie around his neck, Inuyasha came face to face with Kagome and all of her friends.

"Cradle of Filth?" she asked, the music faintly reaching her ears as he friends grimaced. "Nice choice. Hey, we're ready to go when you are, if that's okay."

"Yeah, definitely," he shoved three more French Fries into his mouth and stood up after grabbing his CD player and walking a head of them towards the parking lot. He turned the volume up on his CD player so he could still listen to the music with out having to put the headphones over his ears and miss anything important Kagome might say.

"How can you listen to that junk?" Yuki fake-gagged, sticking her finger down her throat. Her friends nodded in agreement.

"I think it rocks," Kagome smiled. "Plus, the chick who does vocals for that song is hot."

"You think a girl is hot, Kagome?"

"Get over yourselves, this is the modern age and I can say a chick is hot any day," she winked and headed out the door after Inuyasha. Her friends stumbled for a moment before walking out also.

In the car Inuyasha popped in the Rasmus CD, deciding that he should probably listen to it if he was going to keep it.

"Who are these guys?" Kagome asked as she climbed into the passenger seat and placed a quick kiss on his cheek.

"Some band called the Rasmus, but their CDs in some weird language…" he tossed her the case and put the car in drive.

"Is it in English?" she teased as she caught the flying case, flipping it around to pull out the booklet. "Oh, it's in Finnish!"

"Finnish?" he raised an eyebrow at her. "Well, they're singing in English. Where the fuck is Finland, anyway?"

"Somewhere in Scandinavia, but there are a lot of really good bands coming out of there right now…" she paused to turn up the volume on the CD, the song 'Bullet' blasting throughout the car. "They sound pretty good to me."

"If you say so," he nodded. They were a bit light for his taste, but he couldn't deny that they had talent.

The rest of the ride was spent in near-silence. Inuyasha eventually tossing in a Libertines CD hoping it would be poppy enough to cheer up the preps in the back seat. It seemed to work for a bit, but he was still very relieved to drop them off.

It took the girls a total of seven minutes to completely get out of the car—they had to finish off their conversation and say an extensive goodbye to Kagome.

"Thank god they're gone," he sighed once they walked off, his head falling to rest on the steering wheel.

"It couldn't have been that bad," Kagome commented, rubbing a comforting hand along his hunched-over back.

"Couldn't be that bad! I swear to god, if I ever step in that mall again my head is going to explode!"

She couldn't help but laugh at the site of him pulling at his hair and crossing his eyes. "I'm sure it will. So where'd you get all these CDs?"

"That crap store in the mall," he smirked.

"Jesus, you bought a bunch of them, that must have cost you a fortune."

"It didn't cost me a dime," he winked, once more putting the car in drive and heading off to drive Kagome home.

"This is the part where you tell me you're just borrowing them, right?" she joked with a carefully raised eyebrow.

"No, I stole them, why would I return a perfectly good CD?" he answered he question with a question, a smile growing on both of their lips. "Do you like the Damned?"

"Of course I like the Damned," she smiled from ear to ear.

"Well then here you go," he smiled right back and popped in their greatest hits CD, the old school punk blasting throughout the car. The drive to her house was spent analyzing every form of music from Hanoi Rocks to Jay Z.

"What about 'Pressure Drop' by the Specials?" she asked as they pulled up to her house.

"Isn't that a cover song? I could have sworn I heard Joe Strummer sing that once…" he thought, his eyebrows scrunching up in confusion.

"Well, I know the Specials version is a SKA version, but I don't know who did the other one…"

"Hmn, well we're here," he nodded absently towards the door, a part of him not wanting her to go.

"Yeah, home sweet home," she sighed, her hand reaching up to grab the door handle. Before she could pull it she heard Inuyasha's door open and slam shut and in an instant he had her door open and a grin on his face.

"I figured I could be polite for once," he grinned, taking her hand and helping her out of the car. She giggled as her feet hit the ground, her hand not leaving his.

"That's very kind of you, sir," she teased, giving him friendly kiss on the cheek.

"Is that all I get, a measly kiss on the cheek?" he feigned hurt, a pout spreading across his lips.

Without answering, she leaned up and placed on his lips. "Maybe later, big boy."

"Aw, fine, fine," he grumbled. "I guess I'll just go home and jack off to gay porn, it's the only option I have left."

"Sometimes I wonder about you," she laughed. "But send that gay porn my way, it sounds like a party."

"I think I have the right to whore it off myself, thank you very much," he teased right back, twirling his car keys around his fingers. "Well, I guess today wasn't a complete waste."

"Of course it wasn't, you got to spend it with me."

"The last few minutes of it, you mean," he grumbled.

"Inuyasha," she sighed. "I promise I won't make you take us to the mall any more. In fact, I won't make you hang around them ever again, if that'll make you happy."

"Soooooooo happy," he squealed, shaking with excitement.

"Good then," she whispered. "Don't tell anyone, but I kind of hate them, too."

"Then why do you put up with it?" he asked, his nose scrunched up in disgust.

"I guess it's a girl thing," she shrugged. "That or a popularity thing….I'm not really sure."

"Fuck popularity, I don't have it and I'm fine."

"Right, you're perfectly fine," she sighed, her eyes glazing over for a second.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he asked angrily, feeling himself lose control for a second before calming down.

"Nothing," she smiled, trying to hide the fact that she was lying. "I guess you wouldn't understand, but I don't want you to, so it's okay. I'll see you tomorrow, alright?"

"Right," he scoffed. "Call me tonight, we'll make plans."

And with that he was back in his car, starting the ignition before she could even respond. With a puzzled look on her face, Kagome made her way inside, figuring that it was just one of his moods and that he'd get over it in no time.

The house was quiet as she pushed the door open, stopping it before it could slam into the wall. Tossing her backpack down in the vestibule, she made her way to the kitchen and began to rummage through the refrigerator. She pushed aside yesterday's spaghetti and grabbed a freshly chilled apple. Turning the stem clockwork to pull it off, unconsciously mumbling a childhood game, Kagome grinned and brought the apple to her lips.

"Kagome, dear, is that you?" her mother asked, poking her head around the wall-partition.

"Yeah mom, it's me," she called back. "Sorry it took so long to get home; we went to the mall after school."

"Who'd you go with?" she asked, trying to make small talk as she moved into the kitchen to begin washing dishes.

"Just the girls and Inuyasha," she smiled. "Have you seen Buyo anywhere? I think I forgot to feed him this morning…"

Her mother just gave parental glare before saying, "Don't worry about it, I took care of him after you left."

"Oh, thanks," as Kagome moved to head toward her room she was stopped by a warm hand on her shoulder. Turning around, she saw her mom shake her head.

"Why don't you tell me a bit about this Inuyasha boy?" she asked, sitting down at the kitchen table and motioning for Kagome to do the same.

Kagome took a seat across from her mother, her fingers locked on the table before her. "What do you want to know?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "Are you two dating?"

"Uhm…" Kagome reached out and began subconsciously picking at the plastic flower arrangement in the center of the table. She had never really thought about it before. Sure, she felt different about him than she'd ever felt about anyone before; but were they really dating? "I guess we are, I haven't really given it much thought."

"You guess?" her mother chuckled. "Ah, I was your age once, I guess I understand. Just tell me he treats you well."

"Oh, of course, mom," Kagome smiled, quickly jumping to Inuyasha's defense. "I couldn't be treated any better, honest."

"That's good to here. I'm just looking out for my daughter, you know?" Kagome blushed before giving her a mother a thankful smile. "Maybe you should invite him over for dinner sometime?"

"Well, I—" Just as she was about to answer the front door crashed open and four boys came running in, each one soaked from head to toe in mud.

"Hi mom! Hi sis!" Sota yelled as he and his friends rushed past and marched up the stairs, leaving a muddy trail behind him.

As the sound of their feet pounding against the floor grew fainter, Kagome heard her mother laugh. "Boys will be boys," she sighed. "I better start cleaning this up before you grandfather comes in, he'll have a fit."

Letting the previous subject drop, her mother moved to pick up the cleaning bucket and shooed Kagome out of the room. With a reluctant shrug, Kagome grabbed her bag and followed the mud-trail up the steps, splitting off in the opposite direction as she entered her room. Kicking off her shoes, she rummaged around her room for the cordless phone and proceeded to call Inuyasha.

* * *

**A Message Of My Humility: Dear readers, I want to thank you very, very much for keeping up with this story despite my recent lapse into update-less-ness. (Yeah, I know that's not a word.) I was very relieved to open my mailbox recently and not find any hate-mail, so I must thank you for that.**

**As for my disgustingly prolonged absence, I guess I can explain that. Keep in mind, I'm not here to make excuses for my mistakes, it was irresponsible and rude to not update my story as promised. I only hope that these few reasons will help you gain better knowledge of where I've been lately:**

**I. Right after my last post my computer decided to pull a Dell. I have a laptop, so when it breaks I can't really take it to a computer store—I have to take it to the actual manufacturer, where they charge you an arm and a leg to fix a ten-dollar problem. It cost me two hundred dollars to fix my computer, and it took me a little while to gain that money.**

**II. Not to bring my social life into this, but I've been going through a hard time recently. This includes and tough move over an ocean, my parents threatening for divorce, and me switching to a new school. With all this going on, it was hard for me to sit down and focus on this story.**

**III. My boyfriend's band recently got signed to a major record label, which is big news for both of us. I've been trying my hardest to help him out as much as possible, though, and that's been taking time away from my writing.**

**I'm not going to sit here and ask for forgiveness; all I hope for is that you now have a better understanding as to where the hell I've been. Thank you for your time.**

**(Damn, that was a long a/n.)**


	18. The Phone Call

**Chapter Seventeen**

**"The Phone Call"**

AN: I figured that this story wasn't going anywhere fast enough, and I know that I would be bored as hell with it if I was the one reading it. So I'm kicking things up a bit in this chapter. As of right now, it will start to become more suspenseful and more…dramatic? I don't know, but it's definitely developing a plot now. Oh, and there's a bit of Sessh/Rin action in this one, too.

* * *

**  
**It was two in the morning when he received the first call. It was frantic and high pitched, the words moving too fast for him to understand exactly what was being said. The number was restricted so he couldn't trace the call, and within seconds it was over, the line going dead. Confused and figuring it was just a prank call, Inuyasha put the phone back down on its base and rolled over.

Exactly one hour later the phone rang again. This time the call was a little less frenzied, a few of the words actually pronounceable.

"You jerk," was repeated several times, along with a few choice curse words and the sound of choked sobs, the voice obviously female.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha asked tentatively, pulling the receiver away long enough to see that this call was restricted just like the last. "Is that you?"

He heard a gasp at the mention of her name and the line went dead again. The silence was deafening and he quickly felt his heart pick up pace. What if Kagome was in trouble?

Swiftly dialing her number, it took everything he had not to scream as he waited for her to pick up the phone. On the fifth ring a groggy voice asked, "Hullo?"

"Kagome! Are you okay!" he yelled instantly, not caring who he woke up.

"What, Inuyasha? Is that you?" she asked, and he could tell by the pitch of her voice that she had just woken up. So it wasn't her that called…

Inuyasha felt a blush spreading across his cheeks, thankful that she couldn't see it. "Uhm, yeah, sorry about that. I just thought you were in trouble."

"At…" she paused to glance at the clock. "Three in the morning?"

"Yeah, it was just a big mistake," he mumbled. "Don't worry about it, I'll see you tomorrow."

"O-Okay," she answered, now fully awake and wondering exactly what was going on. "Is everything alright, Inuyasha?"

"Everything's fine, baby," he tried to sound reassuring. "Just a bad dream. Now go back to sleep."

They said their goodbyes, Kagome still very confused but not pushing the matter, and hung up the phone. Inuyasha couldn't help but scratch his head at what was going on. Who had called?

"It must have been some punk kid," he whispered.

Rolling over and trying to go back to sleep, he quickly found that he couldn't. He climbed out of bed and made himself a cup of coffee, figuring that he'd stay up for the remainder of the morning. An hour later the phone rang again, but this time he didn't pick up.

* * *

"So what happened this morning?" Kagome asked later on the ride to school.

"I'm not really sure," he laughed. "Some prank caller just had me freaked out, is all."

"Oh," she nodded, her fingers fiddling with the backpack resting on her lap. "What did they say?"

"They who?" he asked, turning to her with a raised eyebrow.

"The prank callers."

"Right," he laughed again, rolling his eyes at his own stupidity. "I don't know, the usual shit. I couldn't really make out most of it. Something about me being a jerk…"

"Kids these days," she sighed, a little concerned by the call. Inuyasha may have been joking around, but something in his eyes told her that it was more serious than a prank call.

"You know the weird part about it was that they sounded like they were crying," he added, as if reading her thoughts. "It wasn't like any prank call I've ever made, that's for sure."

They let the topic drop after that, moving on to speak of more generic things. By the time they reached the High School the subject was all but forgotten.

"If you ever need to talk to me," Kagome smiled as she climbed out of the car. "About anything, don't hesitate to give me a call."

"Talking is such a girly thing to do," he joked, his laugh stopping when he noticed the serious look on her face. Moving to cup his hands around her face, he smiled down at her. "I know you'll always be there to listen."

He planted a soft kiss on her velvet lips, pulling away as the bell rang in the distance. She smiled sadly at him, shifting the weight of her backpack on her shoulder.

"We should head to class," he grumbled. "I'd hate for you to be late."

"Right," she nodded, taking her hand and leading him into the building.

* * *

Inuyasha searched his call log when he got home that day, sighing when he found seven missed calls all under the title 'restricted.' The calls were really starting to bother him, but he couldn't figure out why. As he went to riffle through his backpack the phone rang again, sending a chill down his spine. 

He spent a long moment just staring at it, contemplating whether or not he wanted to pick it up. The phone rang three more times before he reached a shaking hand out and brought the receiver to his ear.

"Hello?" he asked, clearing his throat and waiting for an answer.

There was silence on the other line for a long moment, the only sound being the static from the wires. He thought he heard the sound of faint breathing somewhere, but that was probably just his imagination.

Just as he moved to put the phone down, a voice spoke up. "Inuyasha? I need to talk to you."

The voice was soft and feminine, laced with grief and dripping like poison. He knew the voice from somewhere…

"Who is this?" he asked, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion and his voice raising a few octaves.

"You mean…" the voice paused, as if afraid to finish the sentence. "You don't remember the sound of my voice?"

He suddenly got angry, his grip on the phone tightening. "Listen punk, I don't know your voice and I don't care to. If you want to waste your time pranking someone, call a different house. 'Cause I'm done picking up."

He heard a strangled sob on the other line, a small squeak in the back of her voice that he recognized from somewhere. It all seemed so familiar, like the image of whoever was calling was on the edge of his mind but he couldn't quite reach it.

"Fine," she sounded angered. "Be that way."

A chill rushed down his spine as the phone was slammed against the receiver, the not-quite-silence of a dropped call drifting to his ears. The urge to call the woman back nagged at the base of his mind, his fingers tingling with the sensation of loss. But it was just a prank caller, right?

"Who was that?" Sesshoumaru appeared in the doorway, his masculine build leaning against the frame.

"Just a prank call," he whispered, his eyes still lowered on the phone.

"I see," there was silence between them before the elder spoke up. "I need you to run some errands for me."

"What kind of _errands_?" Inuyasha scowled, his attention temporarily diverted from the phone call.

"Nothing illegal, you mafia boss," Sesshoumaru laughed at his attempted to joke. Inuyasha did not find it funny. "I just need you to go to the grocery store."

"Why don't you do it, it _is_ your house after all."

"Exactly," Sesshoumaru scolded. "It _is_ my house, and if you want to continue living in it you will do as I say."

"Whatever," he grumbled, grabbing his keys from his dresser and walking toward the door. "What do you need me to pick up?"

"Just the basics—milk, pop, some cereal," he answered, fishing a hundred dollar bill from his pocket. "And anything else you might need. Take your time."

"You seem like you want me out of the house," Inuyasha waggled an eyebrow at his brother.

"Maybe I do," he smiled. "I have an associate coming over this afternoon, and I would appreciate it if the house is empty."

"Ah, I get it, an _associate_. Have fun with her," he joked.

"You know that is not what I meant, now go," he growled.

Inuyasha didn't say anything more as he pushed past his brother and headed for his car. Sesshoumaru watched him leave, waiting until he heard the car leave the driveway before practically running down the stairs toward the phone.

Dialing the seven digits that he had quickly set to memory, he tapped an impatient nail on the tabletop waiting for the line to pick up. As the rings grew on he began to panic, his heart racing at the idea that she could have forgotten his promise to call. As he moved to place the phone down on its cradle, however, a small click was heard quickly followed by a feminine "Hello?"

"Rin? Hey, it's—" he paused when she interrupted him.

"Sesshoumaru, I would recognize your voice anywhere," he could hear the smile in her voice.

"That's fantastic," he chuckled. "I'm just calling to see if you were busy."

"Today? Well, I suppose I'm not. Why?"

"Then I'm coming to get you," it wasn't a question, and a smile washed over his features as she didn't protest.

"Alright, how long will it take you to get here?" she asked.

"Less than fifteen minutes," and with that he briskly hung up the phone and grabbed his keys.

* * *

"God, I hate shopping," Inuyasha grumbled as he turned down another aisle. A small plastic basket hung limply at his side with a box of Cap 'N' Crunch and some bacon inside, occasionally bumping into his leg as he walked. 

Scanning the shelves with a bored look, he cursed to himself and skipped to the back where the milk and other dairy products lined the wall. Grabbing a carton of Fat Free Milk and a small bottle of Chocolate Milk, he turned rapidly on his heel and headed for the register. He wanted out of this store as soon as possible.

He quickly paid for his stuff—or, more specifically, Sesshomaru's stuff—and practically ran to his car. As he carelessly tossed the groceries in the back seat and shoved the key into the ignition, he realized that Sesshoumaru didn't want him home at the moment. Glancing at the milk that was sure to spoil if he didn't get it in a fridge, Inuyasha shrugged and headed for home anyway.

* * *

"You know," Rin sighed happily as Sesshoumaru held the door open for her, gesturing for her to come inside. "This is the first time I've been in your house." 

"I realize that," he smiled, "that's why I invited you over."

He guided her over to the couch in the sitting room, telling her to sit down while he grabbed something from the kitchen. She did as she was told, her eyes scanning the large room to get a better idea of what kind of man this was.

Along the fireplace mantle there was a collection of family photos, adding light to the otherwise white room. The pictures alone seemed to give the room a homey feel and she was urged to go look at them before Sesshoumaru came back.

At the center of collage sat a large photograph of a family, two children and their parents. She assumed it was his parents because the father and youngest child both sported his beautiful silver hair and golden eyes.

"That must be his brother," she whispered softly, noticing how similar the two looked. A smile graced her lips as she moved down the line of pictures.

Standard-issue Sears photos were speckled in amongst hand-taken ones, all ranging from childhood to present. Picking up a picture that she assumed was of Sesshoumaru as a child, she got so caught up in the vibrant golden eyes that she didn't notice him walk up behind her.

A startled gasp escaped Rin's lips as unexpected arms were wrapped around her waist, pulling her back into a warm body behind her. "I see you discovered the family pictures," he whispered with mock-embarrassment lacing his words.

"They're lovely," she sighed, putting the picture back in its place and leaning into him. His grip on her tightened affectionately as Rin pointed to one of the frames. "Is that your brother?"

"Yuh-huh," he nodded, pulling her over to the couch and sitting her down. Taking his place beside her, he offered up a steaming cup of tea.

"Thank you," she took the tea and sipped at it timidly, waiting for it to cool down. They sat there in silence for a long moment, meeting the other's eyes occasionally but neither speaking up.

"I—" he began, but stopped when he realized that he really had nothing to say. He was never really good with these things. They were plunged into silence once more, the only sounds being the occasional sipping of tea.

"I don't think I'll ever forget the first time I waited on you in the café," Rin smiled. He simply nodded in return, a small smirk pulling on the corner of his lips. She looked at him, trying to read the look on his face but unable to see past the stern and collected visage.

"Me either," he answered after a moment, seemingly snapping out of a trance. He glanced at her, his eyes running along her form briefly before resting on her face. There was something in her eyes, something he couldn't put his finger on—something akin to passion.

He licked his lips, his pink tongue running along lips that he didn't know were parched, and swallowed hard. He wanted her, he couldn't deny that, but he wasn't an animal. He wanted to be civilized and take things slowly, offer her some dinner and fine wine, romance her and tell her she was beautiful—

Hungry lips snapped him from his thoughts, his body being pressed against the back of the couch. He couldn't think as she straddled his waist, arms locked firmly around his neck as she kissed him deeply and instinct told him to kiss back.

Acting quickly, he tangled his long fingers in her raven locks, pulling her face closer to his own. Tongues battled, clothing was pulled at, and breaths were quickened. A foot kicked out and knocked over one of the tea cups, the steaming liquid pouring over the oak tabletop. Neither of them noticed, though, too caught up in each other to care.

Sesshoumaru pulled back for the briefest of moments to change positions, flipping her over on her back. She giggled at the sudden movement, her arms once again wrapping themselves around his neck. He leaned down and placed a trail of sloppy kisses along her jaw line, staring at her from the corner of his eye. With a primal growl he ran a long nail down her side, tracing each rib and stopping to rest on her hip.

Just as his fingers ghosted over her belt-buckle they both jumped to their feet when a door slammed open somewhere behind them.

"This won't take long, I'm just putting away your stupid groceries," Inuyasha called as he walked right past them without so much as a second glance. He made a beeline to the kitchen, two bags in his hands.

Sesshoumaru and Rin just starred at him, still in the position they were in when he barged through the door, both afraid to move. When Inuyasha came back a minute later he finally spotted them and the compromising position they were in.

"Oh," he grinned, a cocky little thing that pulled at the corners of his mouth and made his eyes sparkle with mischief. Under his breath he quickly whispered, "Wait 'till your wife hears about this."

Before Sesshoumaru could say anything Inuyasha had already run out of the room, a sharp laugh filling the space before he slammed the door shut.

"What did he mean by that?" Rin asked the second she knew that he was gone. Sesshoumaru stared down at her, swallowing hard.

"Kids these days," he tried to laugh, but it got caught in his throat. He didn't have time to hope she believed him, for as the last syllable left his lips hers took its place.

* * *

**Author's Note: Once again, I find myself apologizing for not updating. There's only one excuse this time: the computer that I thought was fixed wasn't, it crashed and I lost all of my files. Sigh. I am SO sorry about this. I promise (althought you have no reason to belive me) that this will never happen again.**


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